To Save My Love
by Diana Law
Summary: Edward is running from Bella to keep her safe. Just as he is about to convince himself to go back, he picks up on Victoria's scent and follows. Set in New Moon but with my own twist. Rated M for adult situations in the upper chapters. Now Complete!
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own the characters or the general idea of the story. I started this story in hopes of looking at Edward's point of view during Twilight but my imagination got away with me so it's all turned around now. Let me know what you think. If you like it, let me know. If you hate it, tell me how I can fix it. Thanks! **

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**1. Saying Goodbye**

**Edward's POV**

"Goodbye Bella." I started to move but Bella yelled.

"Wait!" She reached her arms out for me. I almost forgot my mission and pulled her into my embrace but caught myself quickly enough to catch her wrists and gently force them to her sides. If I were to hug her as my body wished, I would crumble and be unable to leave. Her skin was so close, I had to reach forward and kiss her forehead. The feel of her skin under my lips almost made me forget my mission. I breathed in deeply and quickly one more time before I said my final words to her.

"Take care of yourself." Before I could tarry much longer, I released her wrists and ran long and hard in the opposite direction, deeper into the forest. I was sure to leave a note to Charlie letting him know where Bella was just in case Alice's vision came true of her trying to follow me. She would be fine with time. I had to believe that.

As I ran, the wind in my hair, my mind raced against my will. All thoughts back on the previous conversation with my love.

_That's all it took? After months of my undying love, she believes I want to be away from her in one conversation? How? Why? Perhaps I haven't lost my touch of lying but the hurt… The hurt in her eyes.. She didn't just look like she believed the lie that my character was forced to tell, she looked like she expected to hear it. All these months, and it was that simple to push her away?_

I ran harder, where I was going, I wasn't sure of at that moment. I just felt the need to push harder, get to where I was headed faster. But where was that exactly? Beside Bella was the only true place I needed to be.

_I told her my kind is easily distracted. This is true, but she was my distraction. My distraction from what I am, why I still live after years in the same frozen state, it was all her. She was what made me exist; nothing will ever distract me from her. _

At this point in my run, I considered returning to Forks, begging her to forgive me and forget that we had that wretched conversation. Tell her how much I love her and how much she means to me. I had only been running for an hour and already my legs wanted to turn back towards Forks.

_Why didn't I just change her when I had the chance?_

"No." I said aloud to myself. I realized I had come to a stop in a clearing of the forest.

"No! I will not be selfish and take her life away, no matter how much I want her to be with me forever." I realized I was growling deep inside my chest but at what? Myself? My thoughts?

Quickly I rammed my fist into a large oak at my side. It split directly up the center with a loud crack. The noise filled me anger yet comforted me at the same time. I took another moment to kick the splintered tree to help it collapse. I smiled as the noise echoed through the forest.

Feeling satisfied with myself, I sat down and continued to speak aloud to the trees and anyone else who could be listening.

"Sitting in a forest talking to myself. I really have lost my mind." I chuckled lightly. "She will be happy, in time. It won't happen overnight, but she will forget me and move on. All human memories fade with time.

"_And your memories?" _Bella's voice was in my suddenly. I welcomed it with my entire being. It's true, I would never forget but it's what's best for her."

_Right... When has Bella ever done what's best for her? For all I know, she will run off looking for vampires to change her just to spite me._

"No, she won't do that. She promised not to be stupid or reckless did she not? She won't go back on her word to me. I have to believe that."

I stood up and began to run again. I couldn't go to my family, Rose was already angry enough to consider throwing my Volvo off a cliff. Her biggest argument was that she just finished high school yet again. I ruined her freedom and she wasn't willing to forgive me any time soon. While she can spend her entire existence loving herself and loathing me, I have to do something constructive with the rest of mine.

_The rest at least, until Bella grows old and moves on to her next life. I will follow shortly after without question of course._

"She deserves to grow old and have a life. Don't regret giving her that chance Edward."

I realized at this point I was heading further south, to where, I still didn't know. That was when the scent hit me. It was sickly sweet to the point it burned my nose.

" Victoria."

She was here. I had made it down to southern California by this time of night. I checked my watch and realized I had been running for eight hours. Taking in my surroundings, I realized most of this running was done in circles.

_I wonder what Bella is doing now. Is she safe in her bed? It's late, I hope she is resting by now._

"Stop it Edward!" I scolded myself. "This is what's best for Bella. She needs this separation to be safe and happy in her life."

_Why is it, no matter how many times I tell myself it's what's best for Bella, instinct tells me otherwise?_

The scent of Victoria hit me again. I was getting closer to her. At least she left Forks which means Bella is safe. I wasn't sure why, but I felt the need to follow Victoria, see what she was plotting. If she was giving up her hold on Bella, she must be searching for something else. Victoria doesn't seem to be the kind of vampire who does anything without purpose or on impulse.

_There's my distraction. I'll learn to be a tracker. I've read the minds of trackers, how hard could it be? At least if I take care of Victoria, I can rest at ease knowing she isn't plotting to return to Bella to finish what James started. All will be well with the world and Bella will remain safe._

**October**

**November**

**December**

**January**

I ran east towards what I thought was Nevada for the second time in these past few months. Her scent was still strong yet hinted with the faintness of age. She had been here roughly three days ago if my senses were correct.

I continued to follow her trail through the night until I could smell dried human blood. Apparently Victoria went hunting on the outskirts of the city I was currently in. I wasn't sure where I ended up at this point but by this time of day, the sun was bright in the sky and I had to hide out in the small patch of forest I found. Knowledge of my current location would have to wait until tonight.

From the smell of the woods around me, she wasn't far. It was as if she were just here. I searched around the brush for the discarded body of the human she fed from. Following my nose, the person wasn't hard to find lifeless and completely drained.

It was a young girl. She had chestnut colored wavy hair, a heart shaped face, brown eyes, and a small figure. I realized instantly that she looked like Bella. Was this Victoria's plan? To leave me clues and hints of what's to come? She has to know I'm following her. Why else would she do this?

Staring at the body of the young woman, I could only see Bella. My stomach was in knots as I took her smell deeply into my lungs. She smelled like Bella, but not nearly as strong. The scent of freesias tickled my senses and made my body ache for Bella's touch.

I decided to bury the poor young woman as best I could. She deserved that much at least. From the look of it, she hadn't suffered thankfully. I could only imagine that Victoria would be a torturous killer in her feast.

After I was finished with the task of the burial, I decided to sit under a tree while I waited for twilight to approach. The clouds had yet to cover the sun so I was stranded here until then.

Sitting in silence, I allowed my mind to race back to Bella. It had been four months since I last saw her. I could remember her smile, her touch, her smell. Every memory, which brought her closer to me was like a wrecking ball into my un-beating heart.

By the time I opened my eyes and began to move again away from my memories and on to the present, I realized it was past twilight and I wasn't alone. Apparently in my semi unconscious state, someone wandered close to me.

"So, you found me. Took you long enough."

I jumped quickly to my feet and my eyes shot to the woman standing in front of me. Her flaming red hair blew in the wind as her catlike eyes watched my every movement. I hadn't expected to see her here. I could swear her scent was days old yet it filled my nostrils with its sickly sweet aroma.

"Who said I was searching for you Victoria?" I crossed my arms and chuckled but she didn't move from her stance. I had hoped she would. Any sign that she was prepared to attack.

"I have been leading you in circles for months yet you still choose to follow like a sick puppy. Do you not realize where you are Edward? We are roughly two hours from Forks. Had you not been tracking me, we wouldn't be standing here together."

Her body was frozen in total stillness as she spoke. As I took in my surroundings for the first time, I realized her statement was correct. We were right back to where I began my run after her months mere months before. How had I not realized it? My senses must have been dulled while my thoughts were on my Bella.

"You do realize, I will have her eventually. Mate for mate my dear Edward and now that you aren't there to protect her, she might as well be dead."

With that, she was gone. She ran before I realized that she left with a smile on her lips. As I tried to run after her, to use my speed to my advantage, it seemed that her scent went in all directions. I swear I could hear silent laughter all around me as I fell right into her plan. Just as I suspected, she wanted me to find the girl she had drained, the one who looks and smells like Bella.

"How did she do that?" I whispered to myself. This was the first time I ever had trouble keeping up with another vampire. For months I followed her and when she is four feet in front of me, I lose her. How dare she speak of taking Bella's life like that?

_I have to go back to Forks. Bella needs me._

"No, that's what she wants me to think. If I go back, it will ruin everything I accomplished to keep Bella safe. She will expect me to go back, realize she's not coming, and then leave Bella again. I can't go back. I have to continue to track her on foot, until the world ends if I must. Surely Bella is living a normal human life right now. I can't interfere."

I ran further into the darkness for hours until I found a solid trail. As I thought, she was heading away from Forks, not towards it. I chuckled lightly to myself calling her bluff silently and set off on her trail again. This time, I would pay more attention to my location. I had known I was running in circles but I didn't know I ran this far in a loop. I would not make the same mistake twice.

Unfortunately, I needed to hunt soon or else I would be unable to stay focused on the task at hand. That was when I felt my cell phone vibrate lightly in my pocket. I looked at the caller ID which showed that it was Alice calling. Had I been wrong in Victoria's plans? What if she really was heading to Forks now?

Quickly opening my phone, I skipped my greeting and went straight to business, "Alice, where is she?"


	2. Chapter 2

Victoria's POV

He followed me for days. I knew he was there, I knew he wanted my death as he did the death of my mate. I led him in circles. He was oblivious to the path in which he was following. His mind was too focused on the human. How an immortal could love a human I still cannot fathom to understand. As I came across an unknown town in Nevada, I decided to have a little fun with him. It was time to hunt.

I sought my target as precisely as possible. I wanted Edward to hurt. I wanted him to let his guard down and feel he pain in which I felt, though I had no intensions to touch him. His wasn't the death that would avenge my mate James. His death would do nothing for me. Why should I give him death quickly and easily when he can suffer as I do?

I walked through the darkness with exact movements. I had seen this particular human on our way to Washington before James was taken from me. I wanted her then but we had to feed quickly and I lost my chance to take her. I could still taste her scent on the back of my tongue from months before. She would be perfect. She carried almost the same scent as the human in Forks. This would tear Edward's heart. Let him get a small taste of what it's like to lose a mate.

I was closer now. I could smell her scent coming from an upstairs apartment building. It was black as pitch outside, easy for me to make my move and leave her body behind. I listened quietly and without motion to see that she was alone. After I was sure, I scaled to wall and onto her balcony. Looking inside, I could see that she sat in front of a fire place with a book in her hand. It was almost too easy. I pried the sliding glass door open in one swift motion and grabbed her before she realized what happened. I couldn't spill her blood, at least not yet. I had to have her in place before I drained her or I wouldn't be able to think clearly. Edward had to see her. She looks and smells so much like his Bella.

_Just take her now!_

My mind was screaming at me, I knew I had to wait. The venom in my mouth was pouring, I had to move faster before I lost control. I could feel my body tense, waiting impatiently for me to drain this human.

I found the spot I spent the day in. Edward was sure to find my scent here. I had to act quickly, the human was beginning to wake. She wouldn't suffer; my thirst wouldn't allow it.

I sunk my teeth into her throat quickly and drained her lifeless. I made sure to smear her body in her own blood. Just enough that once dried Edward could smell it clearly. I also made sure to leave strands of my hair lying around; one more way for Edward to find her.

While I waited for him to catch up, I decided to continue to satisfy my thirst. It would be past daybreak before he arrived.

After a few more humans were drained, I decided to make my way back to the clearing. I had to stay unseen in the daylight so my journey would take a few hours. It would be past twilight before I made it there. I'm sure Edward has found her by this point.

As expected, twilight was passed when I made it back. Also as expected, Edward had found the body of the girl and buried her. I knew he would find a soft spot for the weak human. My plan was well on its way. I found him sitting against a tree with his eyes closed as if he were asleep. I watched him for several minutes until he snatched his eyes open and looked around. He didn't seem to notice me just yet. I decided to get the plan in motion.

"So you found me." I remained completely still as I watched his body stand uncomfortably.

"Who said I was searching for you Victoria?" He began to chuckle. As if he could fool me.

"I have been leading you in circles for days. Do you not realize where you are Edward? We are roughly two hours from Forks. Had you not been tracking me, we wouldn't be standing here together." I had carried the girls body all the way from Nevada. I was impressed that I could hold myself off of her for that long. "You do realize, I will have her eventually. Mate for mate my dear Edward and now that you aren't there to protect her, she might as well be dead now."

I ran from him quickly. I planned my escape well. I had time before he arrived to send my scent in different directions. I laughed to myself as I ran. Surely he would see Forks as a joke and attempt to follow me. I would have her in my grasp before reached her. When he gets to Forks, I will take the life of his mate as he watches. Unfortunately, it would have to wait. I needed time to prepare so I began to run towards Texas. There had to be someone there would could help me.


	3. Chapter 3

**3. Race**

Edward's POV

Alice's words echoed in my ears and made my body move faster in hopes of catching Victoria in Texas.

_She is looking for backup Edward. She wants to do away with you first, and then return for Bella. She doesn't think it's possible to get around you._

Why? Why does she want Bella so much that she would put herself in danger to get her? From our past encounter, Victoria did nothing but flee.

"Why can't my death be enough for her?" I realized instantly that I asked this question out loud. Luckily for me, even if anyone were around, no one would have heard me.

I had to get Victoria. I couldn't let her get my Bella.

_Ah Bella. How I wish I didn't have to leave your side. How I wish I could see your smiling face again hinted with a blush on your soft cheeks. Your warm body pulled close to mine._

Thoughts of Bella made my chest ache. It felt empty as if my frozen heart had been snatched out as I departed. It has been less than two weeks since I told her that absurd lie to protect her. Each moment I was out of her arms felt like years. How I managed before Bella came into my life, I can't even begin to fathom. I waited my entire existence to be with Bella. Now that she's not with me, what is there to hope for?

_Once Bella lives a full human's life and leaves this world, I'll be sure to follow. What a masochistic thought Edward._

Somehow, the thought of eternal nothingness was calming. Though I knew nothing of the after life, I could only hope that it would be peaceful. Anything is better than the agony I feel without Bella. As sick as it may seem, I secretly hoped the time would pass quickly to relieve the ache I felt. I could only hope that Bella wasn't suffering as bad as me.

A sudden buzzing in my pocket broke my train of thought and brought me back to my current position. Thinking of Bella, I must have slowed to a stop because I realized I hadn't moved far. I pulled the phone out of my pocket and answered the phone without looking. I knew a second phone call so soon would mean trouble.

"Edward?" I could hear Alice on the other end of the line, her voice sounded frantic. "Edward, you have to get back to Forks NOW. Victoria changed her mind. She's already on the way back to Bella. I can't see where you are. Tell me where you are!"

My breath caught in my throat after her words spilled. I knew the news wouldn't be good, but I had no idea they would be THIS bad.

"Alice? As of now, I'm in Texas. I thought that's where she was headed. It looks like she led me in yet another circle. How could I have been so foolish? Please tell me you're on the way to Forks." I heard a pause on the end of the line. It sounded like Alice was shuffling the phone around in her hands and I could hear her yelling at someone in the background.

"I'm not in Alaska Edward. I'm in South America with Jasper on a hunting expedition. We jumped on a plane as soon as I had the vision but there is still no way we can make it on time. I've seen the outcome Edward, it's not good. She realized that we were no longer with Bella. I don't know how but she knows Bella is alone. I keep getting visions of a male vampire but not sure of who it could be." It didn't take me but a second to realize that the male Vampire working with Victoria was Laurant. Upon realizing this, I heard Alice gasp into the phone. She must have seen the vision where I decided to kill both Victoria and Laurant. I pushed myself to the limit towards Forks. I had to have time; there is not other way.

"Have you called Carlisle? Or Esme? Anyone?" I realized my voice was yelling yet strained. I must have sounded like a frightened child.

"Yes. I called everyone" Alice answered quickly, "No one is around to help Edward. Everyone is on the way though as quickly as they can get there. I'm trying to keep an eye out on the future but I still see the same thing."

"What do you see Alice?" I asked her but then I realized that I didn't want to know. Sensing my hesitation upon asking, Alice kept talking without answering as if the words never left my lips.

"I even tried to get Tanya to run down to protect Bella. She made all kinds of excuses until I hung up on her. There may be a chance though Edward. I see a few breaks in time as Victoria smells the humans she is running by at a distance. She's thirsty. She is trying to hold herself together until she reaches Bella. She doesn't want to be filled before she gets there. If a human can accidentally stumble into her path, she may change her mind and hunt. I see it happening then the vision changes. It keeps happening over and over."

"Okay Alice, thank you for the call. I'm pushing as hard as possible." I closed the phone as I continued to speed towards Forks in hopes that Victoria's thirst would become too much to handle and she would hunt.

_"How can you say that Edward Cullen? Just because she is coming for me, you can't wish death on an innocent person!"_ Bella's voice was loud and clear in my head as if she were standing right next to me. It startled me momentarily but after a few brief seconds I was running at top speed again. I knew Bella wouldn't want me to think that way but I would know first hand that the thoughts of the mind tend to work on their own. One can't help his thoughts.

_Bella, if you die, I swear to follow quickly behind you, right after I take Victoria and Laurant._

**Okay, here is where a little excitement comes in. I will most likely be updating everything later on but this works for now.**


	4. Chapter 4

4. Forks

As I entered Forks, I couldn't smell Victoria, which after all I've learned, meant nothing. She could easily be here without my notice. Without slowing to take in my surroundings, I made my way directly to Bella's house, to my Heaven on Earth, to my home. I was only minutes away at this point and already I was antsy. Had Victoria paused to hunt to give me the upper hand? One could only hope. I had received no more phone calls from Alice so perhaps a decision hadn't been made to where Alice could see.

Upon arriving to Bella's home, I took no time in shimmying up the wall and to her window. Her truck was parked in front of the house as well as Charlie's cruiser and it was late, well past one in the morning. She had to be there safe and in her bed. What I saw, however, shocked me. It was Bella's room, in perfect order as I remembered it, not a book out of place yet the one item that was missing was Bella. Her bed was untouched as if she hadn't slept in it in days. Perhaps she was on the couch or in Charlie's to avoid thoughts of me?

_How narcissistic of you Edward. As if she would leave the comfort of her bed over thoughts of you. You left, therefore you will be lucky if she even remembers your existence._

With my thoughts giving me the torture I deserved, I made my way through the window exactly as I always had in the past. Once in her room, her scent hit me as hard as it had the very first day in biology class however, no venom pooled in my mouth. Instead, my chest tightened and memories flooded my mind of my many nights here with Bella. I could almost see myself in the bed next to her as she whispered my name in her sleep. The memories brought a smile to my face but it was quickly replaced with a grimace as I heard Charlie stir in his sleep in the other room. I had forgotten my reason for coming here tonight and for that, I could only loathe myself further.

As silently as I entered through Bella's window, I made my way downstairs to the living room. I looked around only to find the sofa empty as well as the rest of the house. All hopes that Bella came downstairs for a midnight snack vanished. Becoming frantic, I made my way back upstairs in a flash to Charlie's room just incase Bella had taken refuge there for the night.

I entered the room slowly. I could barely hear Charlie's thoughts in any given moment so it was difficult to tell if he was awake or asleep. I didn't want to waltz in and he actually be awake. As I scanned the room, I saw Charlie alone in his bed. Bella was nowhere to be found in the house. As I looked over Charlie, I could tell that he hadn't shaved in days and I could smell something coming from his breath that reminded me of the medication Carlisle gives to patients who are unable to sleep. Closer examination allowed me to see the prescription bottle on Charlie's nightstand and an empty glass. Lunesta the bottle said. So Charlie has been having trouble sleeping. Does that mean Bella has been gone for days?

A sudden vibration in my pocket made me jump. I rushed out of the room as vampire speed before answering the call from a frantic Alice.

"Edward! Bella is gone! How could I not have seen that! I can't see where she is but she's alone. She seems to be sleeping right now but I can't tell what she's sleeping on. Where are you?"

I took in Alice's words carefully. Bella wasn't at home, she has been gone for a few days, where could she be?

"I'm at her house now. I looked all over and there is no sign of her here. Her bed is made and it looks like she hasn't slept in it in days. Charlie reeks of sleep aides and looks like he hasn't shaved in a week. How could she be gone for this long and us not know it?"

Alice was silent for several moments before she gasped, "I saw it! I just had a vision that seems to have come to me late. That's never happened before. I wonder…"

"Alice!" I interrupted, "Tell me what you saw."

"This happened what I would guess as two weeks ago. Bella was at La Push. She was there in a shed with a boy that I don't recognize watching him work on a car. She said she was going home and when the boy went inside, she stayed. It looks like she slept in the car until the next day and he found her. He drove her home and had someone bring her truck back. That night, she left on foot. It seems that she went back to La Push but she disappeared. Her future went black."

"Does that mean she…" I couldn't even say the word in my head much less aloud. My Bella, traveling on foot all that way. "Wait, you said you can see her now. How is that possible Alice?"

"I don't know Edward. She was completely gone but right now I can see her asleep. She's not at La Push, that's all I know." I could hear Jasper in the background giving apologies to passer bys who I could only guess were being shoved out of the way by one determined pixie.

"How do you know she's not there? You can't see what she's asleep on." I was already running towards La Push. Treaty or no treaty, I was crossing the line if it meant having Bella save and back in her bed.

"No Edward! Stop running now! I know she's not there and if you cross the line, the outcome isn't good." Alice was screaming at me but I realized she was right. Bella's scent on foot to La Push was too faded at the line to still be there.

"Alice, I know it's hard on you but please, strain your sight as best you can to tell me something more. I have to find her." I was pleading even though I knew Alice was trying her hardest. She loved Bella too, she would do whatever she could to find her.

"I'm doing all I can. Jasper is about to go mad with my worry. We're on the way though. We landed in Seattle and as soon as we can get out of site, we will be running to join with you. Everyone else is on the way as well. We plan to meet at the house to try to come up with a plan. Head there now, we'll be with you soon."

With that, Alice hung up and I made my way to my Forks home. Her words soothed me to a point to know Bella is still safe but worried me that I couldn't find her. As I left the La Push border and made my way to the house, a fresh scent no more than three days old filled my nose. It was Bella's scent. She left La Push and seemed to be making her way towards my house. Could she still be there now?


	5. Chapter 5

5. Cullens Reunited

Edward's POV

I couldn't believe my eyes. With every step I took, I could see Bella's footprints in the soft earth. Of course to human eyes, nothing would look out of the ordinary.

As I followed further, I could see places where she had fallen. There were pieces of her hair tangled in the trees here and there making her scent even more potent to my senses. Time away from he hadn't made her any less clumsy.

I picked up my speed while still carefully scanning my surroundings for more signs of Bella's stumbles, which she seemed to have a lot of. It was of no surprise when I could smell dried blood. Examining the area closely, it looked as if she tripped over a root and scraped her hand on a tree when she tried to catch herself. What did surprise me, however, was a smell that I recognized yet couldn't place.

Bella's scent was all over here mixed with the scent of something familiar yet lost in my flawless memory.

_Vampire._

My mind was screaming at me. The more I took in the aroma, the more I recognized it. It was Laurent. His scent lingered faintly and was mixed closely with Bella's. Had he hurt her? He… changed her?

_No, Alice had assured me she was sleeping. Had she been changed, she would either still be withering in pain or already a vampire. Either way, she wouldn't be asleep._

I released the breath I had been holding and continued to follow the scent further into the woods. I was shocked at where I ended up. Surely this journey took Bella more than a day or two to make. I wound up all the way at the meadow. Surely Bella's legs were exhausted by now.

Her scent in the meadow was stronger that the previous scent, as was Laurent's. There was also another smell in the air that made my nose crinkle. It was like smelling straight ammonia. Whatever caused that scent was long gone now but it surely made an impression. It seemed to trail the scent of Laurent but neither of these smells concerned me. My only concern was for Bella's scent.

After smelling through the ammonia smell as best I could, I found Bella's scent a little ways off. It had turned back towards my house, the direction I thought she was originally going.

After a long run following her scent, I found an area that was especially strong. She must have stopped there to sleep at one point. At least she had enough sense of self-preservation to stop and rest. Her scent continued on towards my house. Once I reached it, Bella's smell was everywhere. It was like she had been here numerous times, some scents more fresh in the air than others. Had she truly come here in hopes that I would be waiting? How foolish I was to expect Bella to be safer without me and move on.

I made my way inside the house. I had gotten here before everyone else just as Alice had said. Bella's scent in the enclosed walls of the house haunted me. Towards the piano, it was especially strong as if she had slept on the bench. I also noticed that it went to the kitchen as well as to my room. Had Bella needed to be there to remember me? At least she had gone to the kitchen though I'm sure what little food we left behind had to be spoiled.

It was quiet in the house when I could hear Alice and Jasper's thoughts in the distance. They had picked up on Bella's scent as well and were headed straight towards me, their minds racing with questions and hope. I had three minutes until they made it here. I would wait for them before I tried to follow Bella's scent further out the back door.

"Edward! I had another vision!" Alice was in the house now and ran straight into my arms, her chest heaving as she tried to sob.

"Calm down Alice, what did you see?"

As Alice tried to breathe, she let me see the vision that had her so upset. It was Bella and she was on my piano bench. That must have been where Bella slept last night. At least she was close. Then the vision changed. Bella walked out of the back door, unable to find enough food to give her strength. She walked all the way to the river back behind our house before she collapsed. She then tried to crawl to the flowing water, thirst evident on her strained face. She reached the water's edge and drank vigorously when the vision changed again. Bella was swimming and the vision went black again.

"Edward, I think Bella…. Drowned…" Alice's sobs picked up in full force again. As for myself, I couldn't breathe. I stood holding Alice's small frame in my arms unwilling to accept what I saw in her vision. She seemed to have her strength back. How had she drowned? Anguish swept over me and from the corner of my eye, I saw Jasper flinch.

"Edward," Jasper said in barely a whisper, "I'm so sorry. Had it not been for me…"

"Jasper," I said in an even lower voice than he, "it wasn't your fault. It was my decision to leave. Your actions were to be expected. I was the one living a lie, not you. Had I left Bella alone as I should have, she would still be here. If you will excuse me, I need to be alone." As I tried to move, Alice grasped me harder.

"I see what you're planning Edward. Please…. Stay. You won't find it." Of course she saw my plans. I could see in her head that I would fail but I had to try. Bella's body needed to be recovered. At least she deserved a proper burial if not for herself then for Charlie and Renee. They would need a place to visit her. They would also need the closure of knowing what happened to her. My final deed before I went to Italy to end my suffering in this miserable existence.

"Don't you DARE!" Alice was screaming at me and her grip was even more firmly. She saw me in her visions being ripped apart and burned. "Edward Cullen if I have to get the entire family to hold you down for the rest of eternity I will. Think of Esme! Losing Bella was hard enough on her. She felt like she lost her daughter, her _daughter _Edward. She can't lose you too. It will destroy her.

Alice was right of course, but I couldn't live in a world where Bella didn't exist. Quickly on impulse, I decided not to go to Italy. How easy it was to make a decision to change the future. I forced a smile to Alice and said, "Fine… I won't go, but I am going to o look for Bella's body. I owe her that much." Though I had the feeling she didn't believe me, her thoughts were blank. The only thoughts I could hear were those of the rest of my family less than three minutes away.

"The family will be here in three minutes Edward. Lets try to relax to see what our next move will be. Everyone is already here, maybe with everyone, we can find her body and return it anonymously to Charlie." Alice was searching the future but everything was still blank. She could see us searching but couldn't see us finding her. Had my heart still been able to beat, it would have been pounding.

I felt Esme take Alice's place in my arms before my body had a chance to move. She was sobbing harder than Alice has been. How I wished I could cry for my Bella. Esme's and Alice's thoughts echoed mine. All three of us desperately wished for the ability t cry at this moment. Jasper had left the room to relieve himself of the emotions floating around, which I couldn't blame him for. Emmett and Rosalie were in a corner together while Alice stood hugging Carlisle. Emmett's thoughts were filled with concern while Rosalie's shot insults at me for having to come back to Forks over yet another of my mistakes. I would have been furious but I didn't have the energy to argue. It was been two weeks since my last hunt. All I wanted to do was find Bella. Hunting could wait.

"Son." Carlisle's voice interrupted my thoughts. "When did you last hunt? You must be weak. Please, allow me to accompany you. We will all need our energy before we discuss our options."

I could only nod. I kissed Esme's hair and followed my father at human pace out the door. Jumbled thoughts from my entire family echoed from behind me. Alice was going to explain what happened since we arrived home. I began to run as fast as my weak legs would take me. I couldn't see her visions again. It was too much.

Carlisle stayed silently behind me. My speed was greatly diminished with my lack of feeding but it didn't matter. I was away from the house and from Alice's retell now so I could relax and plan my next move. I had to be sure not to make a decision or else Alice would be right back out here with fury raging.

After another three miles, I could smell a heard of elk up ahead. Though their scent held no interest to me, I needed to feed. I would need all of my energy in my search for Bella's body. Carlisle followed suit but never once spoke or got closer to me. He let me have my space and for that, I was thankful.

Once I drained a total of five elk and felt as if my insides would slosh with the slightest movement, I fell to my back to stare at the clear night's sky, a rarity for Forks.

"_I like the night. Without the dark, we'd never see the stars."_

Bella's voice was in my head out of nowhere. It was beautiful and made my entire body ache. She was gone-Never to admire the beauty around her again, never to lie on her back and stare at the stars. Bella, my Bella, gone from this world all because of me.

"Edward…" Carlisle spoke to me for the first time since we left the house. "Son, I know this is hard for you, but please remain calm. If you want to help Bella, you must be calm and in control enough to help us search." He gracefully positioned himself in the grass next to me and pulled me close as a father does to a young son. I embraced him back and began to openly sob. Yet again, I wished I could pass tears from my eyes. All the while, Carlisle held me close and kept his mind blank so I could have a moment of silence to grieve. I would be grateful to him for the rest of my existence, however long that might last.


	6. Chapter 6

**6. Searching**

Edward's POV

I'm not sure how long I was pressed into Carlisle's chest gasping like a child but as I looked around, I noticed the sun had already begun to rise- A new day had begun, a new day knowing Bella was gone. The world held no beauty or interest for me anymore. As I admired the sun through the trees, I saw my skin sparkle. Bella would have loved it. Momentarily, I allowed my mind to drift to thoughts of Bella, but only for a moment. Any more and my sobs would return and my body could no longer choke and gasp from tears that wouldn't fall.

Strangely enough, for the very first time since my new birth as a vampire, I felt exhausted and wanted nothing more than to sleep, just a few moments to escape the world and my worries. All the while of my sobbing, Carlisle kept utterly silent in voice and in mind. I could not have chosen a better father had I been allowed a choice. He is everything I could ever hope to be and I would surely miss him after Bella's body was found and I made the decision of what to do with the last moments of my existence. Whatever choice I make must be a split decision or else Alice will try to stop me.

"Carlisle, I'm ready to go back. Bella's body needs to be found as soon as possible. It's the least I can do for her." Sitting here sobbing was getting me no closer to putting Bella to rest properly. The sooner I found her the sooner I could make my grand exit from this world. When I said I would follow her to the ends of the Earth, I should have specified that I would follow her to the ends of the unknown.

Without another word, Carlisle and I both stood and took in our surroundings. Even after hours of dry sobbing in silence, I still could not accept that Bella was no longer living and breathing. Something deep inside my chest told me that we wouldn't find her body, not because the river swept it away, but because she was still alive. Yes, Bella was frail and fragile, but after her journey all the way here from La Push, she had to be stronger than I once gave her credit for. If she had died in the river, wouldn't Alice have seen her choking rather than swimming and suddenly disappearing?

Carlisle and I both began to run towards the house at top speed. I could already hear the thoughts of my family members though I was still four minutes away. Of all the voices I could hear in my head, it wasn't Alice's frantic thoughts that screamed at me, but Rosalie's. I couldn't have been more surprised by what I heard.

"_That poor human girl died because of us. This is going to kill Edward in the end. I can't imagine how he must feel to lose his mate. If I were to lose Emmett, I don't think I could go on. Even if she were human, she would become one of us. Alice saw it. I should have been more supportive."_

Assuming that she would guard her thoughts if I got close enough for her to sense me, I slowed down to a stop to listen and Carlisle followed suit without question. This was the first time I had ever heard Rose think of someone other than herself and I was impressed. Even if these were only thoughts and not spoken words, I knew this was the best I would ever get. At least in her thoughts, she was honest.

"_I swear she should have been changed by now. Had Edward let James' venom spread, Bella and I could be sisters and all our lives would be perfect She wouldn't have had to suffer in the hospital and it would have been simple to fake her death to give her parents closure. I could have loved her dearly in time. She would have been changed against her will and wouldn't be throwing her life away on purpose. If only…Bella were alive. I would change her myself if I had to… Choice or no choice."_

I was amazed that Rosalie felt that way. After all of these years, I never thought anything Rose did could shock me but for once, I was wrong. I wonder what made her care? She never seemed to care if I was happy or miserable in the past and we had been in the same family for years. Did she actually care for Bella?

Carlisle cleared his throat behind me. "Edward, what's wrong?" I forgot to give a reason for the sudden halt. I could only imagine that he was confused about my actions but I had to hear Rosalie. This may be my only chance to hear her compassion.

"Um… I was listening to Rosalie. She is upset that Bella is… dead." I can't believe I said the word but as I did, it still felt wrong. "She said that if for some chance Bella is found… alive… She will change her herself. I couldn't pass up listening to her Carlisle."

"Rose said that?" Carlisle was silent for a moment before continuing, his thoughts racing to the point that I couldn't follow, "I can't blame you for stopping son but it's rude to eavesdrop on the conversations of others. I know you can't help but read her mind, however, I think she should know you can hear her. It's only fair."

I know he was right but my body was still frozen in shock. I tried to will my legs to move forwards but the next thought that hit me was even more shocking than Rosalie's, if that's possible.

"_I wish Jasper had bitten Bella at the party. At least then she would still be alive and happily living with us. Everyone would have been too preoccupied that night with Jasper to get the venom to stop spreading in time. So many ifs and nothing I can do about it now. Edward, I can see that you're listening from the shadows. Come back inside. If Rose finds out you can hear her, it's not going to be plesant. Please forgive me for my thoughts but there is nothing w can do now."_

_Alice…? My own beloved sister wishes Bella had been bitten by her husband? Can grief really affect someone so much to wish this pathetic existence on others?_

I guess I know the answer to that question. All I have had on my mind since leaving Bella that day in the woods was changing her. As Alice said, so many ifs and nothing I can do about it now. Rose was right, as hard as it is for me to admit. I really should have changed Bella when she asked and not been so stubborn. Maybe she would have fit into this lifestyle better had she been given the choice to be changed or to remain human. Maybe then she could have been happy, unlike the rest of us. Each member of my family wishes we could be as content with this life as Alice. Maybe Bella would have been just as content.

With a nudge from Carlisle, I found the will to make my legs move forward and we continued on to the house to join the others. The search had to begin. I refuse to allow Bella's body to go missing as if it never existed. She would have a marked grave for her parents to visit and grieve. I refuse to do anything else until she is found.

By the time Carlisle and I reached the house, the family had already been ushered by Alice to the dining room table to begin our meeting, each of them silent in voice and in mind. Everyone would need to know where to search inside the river. Luckily, none of us had to breathe so searching the entire river would be no problem. Carlisle took his designated seat next to Esme and I took the seat at the head of the table. Finding Bella is my responsibility therefore, this meeting is in my hands. Carlisle would see to it that whatever orders I gave were followed. I would never be able to repay him even if I exist for another thousand years.

Alice was the first to speak thus starting the meeting. "Edward, I need you to tell everyone where to go so I can see if we're looking in the right place. I still can't get a read on Bella's body and I want her found and put to rest as soon as possible. Once they make the decision to look where you tell them, I can hopefully see where she is."

I must admit, that was a reasonable request. It would absolutely get the task finished that much sooner if we knew where Bella's body was to begin with. I know my family had no problem with helping me, but I didn't want to take any more time from them than was necessary. Bella isn't theirs to find but I couldn't refuse their assistance.

"Alright Alice, I'll cut to the chase. Emmett, I need you to run about twenty miles down river. If Bella had drowned yesterday, she wouldn't be any further than that downstream. From what I could tell from Alice's vision, the current was almost nonexistent. Jasper, space yourself about three miles before Emmett's position. Rose, you come three miles closer to the house from Jasper's position, followed by Alice, then Carlisle, then myself. That covers any area her body could have floated to in the given time period."

I received understanding nods from each of my family members without argument. Even their racing thoughts were set on finding Bella and nothing more. If her body is in that river, we will find her. There was one final task that needed to be taken care of and only one Cullen would have enough compassion for the job.

"Esme, I hate to ask this of you, but can you go to check on Charlie? I figure he would be much more likely to tell you what happened to make Bella leave than he would me. He was harsh when Bella was in the hospital back in Phoenix, I can only imagine his reaction to me now that his daughter is gone."

"Of course dear. I'll do anything you need." For the second time today, I was overly grateful for whichever great being allowed me to have Esme for a mother and Carlisle for a father. They were so much more than I deserved yet everything I could possibly need. I hated what it was going to do to them after Bella was found and I… Too matters of my existence into my own hands.

"Edward…" Alice's voice interrupted my thoughts, "we're not going to find her. I can see that much is clear. I don't know why, but we won't come across her body in the river."

It took a few moments for Alice's words to sink in. It was only official when she showed me the vision she was having. I could see each of us scouring the entire river and coming up empty handed. How could that be? If Bella had drowned, she would be there in the water right? I was beginning to become antsy and worked up. If I had been human, my heart would be racing. Could she possibly be alive and not in the river…? I had to try…

"Emmett, I'll need you to go further down the river, all the way to the end if you must. We have to find her!" Another vision from Alice filled my thoughts at Emmett's new Destination. This vision was just as hopeless as the last had been. I believe my hopes were starting to rise.

"Still nothing. I decided to spend the next week scouring the entire river. We're not going to find her Edward. I'm sorry." I watched Alice's visions shift and change but one thing was the same, Bella wasn't found.

"Carlisle, since no amount of help is going to find Bella, can you go with Esme please? I still need to find out what happened. I'm going to search the river anyway just incase. Alice, I know your vision shows that I'll come up empty handed, but I have to try." Alice seemed to understand and nodded her head sadly.

"Of course Edward," Carlisle answered, "When would you like us to leave?" I thought about his question for a moment and searched around the room for the clock. I wouldn't want them to wake Charlie. I know he has been having difficulty sleeping since Bella left. He would be less likely to speak with them if he was still groggy and moody.

"It's seven forty five Edward." Alice answered my unasked question. "Charlie will be awake at eight. He's not going to work today so he will be home anytime you get there. Carlisle, give Charlie some time before you go. Leave here around eight-thirty so he has time to shower and eat. He will be more willing to talk to you if you go then. Also by then, the sun will be behind the clouds so you won't have to worry about it."

Alice's voice was barely a whisper. She was nestled into Jasper's chest and her face was pained and contorted. Losing Bella has been just as difficult on her as it has me. Not only did she lose her best friend, she had been torn from her and forbidden to speak to her beforehand. She must think Bella died hating her for leaving. I knew Bella better than anyone did, she would never hate Alice for leaving.

_Myself, however, I expect nothing less than Bella's hate. She died thinking that I didn't want her, didn't love her. Of all the lies I have ever told, nothing is further from the truth. How I wish she were here for me to tell her, to apologize for my absurdities. _

Before I could loathe myself further, Alice's thoughts interrupted me. She seemed to be trying to block them but her grief over Bella made it impossible for her to concentrate. Through her thoughts, I could see her yet the image was blurry. It looked as if Alice was running through the forest but I couldn't make out where she was as the trees blurred by. The further she ran, the more translucent the vision became- her decision was made. I could hear Jasper behind her begging her to stop running and see reason but Alice ran harder through the trees. I could now hear my other family members yelling for her to stop running but Alice paid them no heed. I could see myself try to stop her, being the fastest in the family, but for some reason I slammed on brakes at the exact spot Jasper had stopped. Further examination of the area allowed me to see where Alice was running. I gasped under my breath before speaking, desperate to put the words together and form a sentence. Is it possible…?

"Alice… What's in La Push?"


	7. Chapter 7

**7. Enemies**

**Victoria's POV**

I ran south to Texas at full speed. If all went as planned, Edward would still be confused on my scent to give me a head start before he followed. He knew I was going to Forks, but he didn't know when. If I could hold him in the south, hopefully I could find backup to keep him here while I made my plans to lure the rest of his family away. Surely they were guarding his pet human while he was after me. I would never get through all of them. I must plan carefully.

I ran for over a day without stopping or slowing to reach my destination. On my travels, being nomadic, I heard many stories of the Texan vampires and their wars. Perhaps I could find a coven that could help me restrain Edward to lure his family here. With them out of the way, getting the human would be all too easy. I could prepare to have Edward watch her die before he arrived to attempt to save her. Everything would be set and ready when he appeared. I would even have time to escape as shock takes over his body as she withers in pain. She would suffer. I would not allow it any other way.

I made it to a small forest on the outskirts of Texas before I decided to hunt. Running from Forks had really taken a toll on my body forcing my thirst into full throttle. I crouched down at the edge of the forest to watch the busy city outside the safety of the forest walls. The smells wafting to my nose made my throat burn and venom fill my mouth. I had to be patient. The sun was just beginning to sink on the horizon. It wouldn't be long now before I could have my fill. Already I could feel the warm blood soothing my burning throat and filling my insides. I closed my eyes and refrained from breathing to keep my body from reacting too soon and exposing myself.

_Patience Victoria. You will feed soon enough. Calm yourself._

A short three hours later, the sun was completely obscured and I could proceed with my hunt. To make things interesting, I picked a smell that had greeted me earlier and decided to hunt that particular human. This would give me great practice for when I returned to Forks to seek out the Swan girl. How easy it would be if James were still here. He should have taken her in the ballet studio instead of toying with her. He always did like to make his games interesting. I plan to take her quickly, yet slowly enough for her to suffer. She would pay with her life for the pain she has caused me.

"Victoria?" The sudden sound of my name being called stopped me from moving towards the city. Standing perfectly still, I allowed my vision to scan the area around me. The forest was silent, even to my vampire hearing.

_Perhaps I imagined hearing my name being called? Has James returned for me?_

I allowed my stance to loosen and took another step towards the edge of the woods pushing the thoughts to the back of my mind. This was no time for my mind to be playing tricks on me.

"Victoria. It is you!" The voice said again.

I snatched my body around quickly to see a dark figure in front of me. As my mind clicked on the vampire, my lips curled back over my teeth and I allowed a growl to rumble low in my chest as I crouched down into a hunter's stance.

"Laurent! How dare you stand in front of me and pose as my ally?" Did he not abandon James and myself in our time of need? Did he not turn traitor and run off to become an animal drinker like the _Cullens_?

"Well, this is not the greeting in which I expected." The male vampire folded his arms across his chest pretending to be offended. Taking in his scent for the first time, I could tell he had been alone, not with another coven. I moved my eyes to his. They were crimson just as they were before, not topaz like the animal drinkers.

"So, could you not handle drinking from animals? Or are you breaking the rules now? After you sold James and I out to those abominations." I allowed my crouch to straighten and my body to loosen but only slightly.

"I did no such thing Victoria. I only wanted to leave with my life. The fight was not mine to step into. You know this as well as I do." Laurent stood in the same position, arms folded, his glare never leaving my face.

"You left us and joined a new coven, or was that all a plan to save your life as well?" I was sneering at him but my stance was still loose. He never crouched or tensed during the entire confrontation. Perhaps he didn't wish to fight me?

"I only thought you may want information. Yes, I did join a new coven but I was never happy there. I was fond of a woman, but not fond enough to share her way of life. After receiving this piece of information from them, I decided to return to you. Revenge is what you seek is it not?" He began to smile as if he held a great secret within.

"What news do you bring? Surely it must be of absolute importance to get you to travel all this way."

"I lived with the coven in which Carlisle named the Denali's. A female named Tanya leads them. Needing refuge for a while, I decided to join them but under the condition that I follow their way of life. It was most uncomfortable but I managed to stick with it for these few months. While there, I became close to the female named Irina. Over the months, she told me stories of the Cullens and their little coven they call a family." He rolled his eyes as he said the word family and I looked at him to continue.

"Apparently Carlisle, the leader of the Cullens, is a human doctor. He works with them daily but refuses to satisfy his thirst in the correct way. It is said that he no longer smells their blood. His mate is the female Esme, you saw her in the clearing standing at his side. The big one is named Emmett, his mate is the female Rosalie. The next…"

"Why do you give me their names? What good does it do for me? You come all this way with information that does nothing but irritate me Laurent." I couldn't help but to interrupt him. Why would I care about the Cullens? They would be out of the way soon enough.

"I tell you this because three of them have gifts. Powerful gifts at that." This was not the answer I had expected but he had my attention yet again and I nodded for him to continue.

"The blonde male, Jasper, his can control emotions. The day we were in the field, it was his doing that kept us calm and held us back from attacking the human. His mate is the small woman with black hair. Her name is Alice. This female is quite impressive. She can see the future with visions in her mind. Any decision that is made, she can see the result. It's the way she was able to save the human and take James from you at the ballet studio." I began to growl again. Perhaps I should look into destroying the one they call Jasper as well. This small woman deserves to suffer as much as Edward. Of course I would need someone to do that for me. I can handle a human but it's not safe to say I can take down a male vampire unharmed.

"The last member you already know. He follows you as we speak." Laurent smiled and looked and nodded into the direction I had come from.

"Of course he is. He refuses to rest until his pet is safe from me. You said three of them have gifts. Is Edward the third member who possesses one?"

"Yes. His is perhaps the most powerful in his family. He is a mind reader." I let Laurent's words sink in. Of course he's a mind reader. Everything makes perfect sense now. It's how he knew exactly what James had planned. If not for him and the pixie female, he would never know when to expect me. Perhaps I would only need the two of them out of the way rather than the entire family…

"There's more. The Cullens are no longer in Forks. They abandoned the human." Had my heart still been able to beat, it would be racing at the image he put into my head.

"She's alone? Unprotected, so vulnerable…"

"Don't get ahead of yourself just yet." Laurent interrupted me. "She is alone from vampires, but she has a new protector."

_Vampires no longer guard her? Then…_

"Then why should I worry? What could possibly be guarding her now that would make me steer clear of her?"

"Werewolves." I felt shock proceed through my body as I churned the word around in my head. Laurent only smiled wider as my confusion.

"They… Actually _exist_? How can you be sure of this?"

"After the Cullens called to tell my new coven that they left Forks, I got the full story from Irina, the female I was fond of. It was Edward's choice to leave. I couldn't help myself after that, I had to see if the stories were true. I asked more questions than before and Irina willingly gave me every answer I could ask about the Cullens. After I had my fill of knowledge, I told the coven that I was going out to hunt and I made my way to Forks with no intentions of returning to them. I ran through the woods hoping to stumble across a hiker to feed before I sought out Edward's human. To my surprise, she was in the woods! Just like that, my job was easy. I thought about taking her for myself…" I growled as I imagined Laurent taking her before me. Before my growl could deepen and my body could tense further, he continued, "I knew you wouldn't approve so I left her where she was yet instilled fright into her core for you. I would have done more damage but I could hear growling coming from behind her and thought Edward had returned. To my surprise, it was a wolf that came to her aide and he wasn't alone. They put up a great fight trying to tear me apart but I managed to escape and sought you out. I thought you would want to know of this before you made your way back to Forks."

I thought to myself for a moment before I replied. "You will come with me. If we go now while the Cullens are gone and Edward is on my trail, we can snatch the human out from under him. The wolves do not concern me."

"I apologize Victoria, but I will not return to Forks with you. I only came to give you information and be on my way. I want no part of this fight. I barely escaped the wolves last time. If I return, they will surely finish the job."

_What a coward he is. As if I could be afraid of an animal._

"Fine. I shall go alone and you may leave in peace." Ending the conversation, I turned my back on Laurent and began to move towards the town yet again. I would feed and make my way back to Forks.

"There is one more piece of information you might be interested in Victoria." I turned to face him yet again. "There is a line that the wolves won't cross, nor will the Cullens. It's a treaty line for the vampires and the wolves to ensure they don't hunt on the land of the Indians. If the Cullens come for you, they won't cross the line to get you, same as the wolves. However, if the Cullens are not in Forks, the line does not exist and the wolves have free roam. I wouldn't be cocky if I were you. Both sides are set on protecting the human girl as all costs. If you get to her, I suggest you act quickly and move on, unlike James did when he had the chance."

"I will use this information wisely. Now if you will excuse me, there is a human in Forks who is expecting me."

Without a glance back at Laurent, I began to run towards Forks avoiding the trail I was sure Edward was on. Taking in the information Laurent had given me, I decided to hunt along the way, and then changed my mind not to hunt an hour later. If what he said about the future seeing female was true, she wouldn't know my plans, not completely at least. Perhaps I could beat Edward there and have everything ready before he arrived.

* * *

After many hours of making and breaking decisions, I reached the small town of Forks, Washington. From the smells around me, I could tell I arrived before Edward had. This pleased me greatly. Remembering the house the girl lived in so many months ago, I made my way there first. The rain was coming so my scent should be gone by the time Edward arrived.

I reached the house directly before sunrise, which only allowed me a brief amount of time to snatch the girl and run. Checking my surroundings and listening closely, I could hear no movements anywhere near me so I made my way across the yard and to the window which belonged to the human. Climbing the house easily, I peered inside to see the room was empty. Quietly, yet with haste, I opened the window and made my way inside to search for her.

I scoured the entire house and she was nowhere to be seen. I could smell her scent so I knew for a fact she still lived here, however, the smell was faint as if she hadn't been within the confines of the walls in over a week. Hopefully her scent would cover mine.

Having no sense of what to do next, I left the way I entered and ran back to the seclusion of the forest to escape the now rising sun. I would search the woods Laurent had seen her in and maybe find a trail. I had to act quickly before Edward arrived. Luckily for me, the sun was out so he would be trapped until nightfall before he could move again. I'm sure he knows where I am, but he can't touch me. I let out a laugh and ran deeper into the forest. I planned to find the human, find the treaty line Laurent had told me about, and to avoid the wolves all in one day. Nothing could be easier.

* * *

I searched the woods the entire day with no luck. I found hints of a trail mixed with something that burned my nose. Could this be the smell of the werewolves? After hours of running through the same paths over and over, the clouds began to cover the sky and the rain began to pour. My scent would be washed away before Edward arrived. With my gift, he would never know I was here. My smell is faint enough and the rain would cover what little there is to be found.

On my way to reach a safe haven to avoid Edward while I waited to find the human, a fresh scent filled my nose and burned my throat. It was the smell of that human girl! How had I been in the forest all day and not been able to find this trail? I hurried through the trees as fast as my legs could carry me. On my run, I passed the house the Cullens had occupied while they were playing human. Laurent was right, they really had moved on. Their scents were all but vanished in this region however this house was not my concern.

To my surprise, I reached a river back behind the house and there swimming in the water was the human! She had been at this house all along and she was right in my grasp!

_All I have to do is snatch her and get her to the house. I can carry out all my plans in the very spot Edward feels the most comfortable. It's almost too perfect. Now to grab her…_

My thoughts were interrupted as a snarling came from the other side of the river. With my perfect vision, I stared into baseball-sized black eyes of a huge wolf. Laurent had been correct, the human is being watched by them.

The snarl filled my ears as the wolf took in my presence. I could see the muscles of the russet colored wolf tense as the bristles on his back began to rise as he made his way into the water towards me. The human began to scream as she saw what the wolf was staring at.

"Jake! No stay away from her! She will kill you!" Her voice was strained. I could smell her blood rushing through her veins from here. So mouth watering. I wanted to run to her and take her sweet taste into my mouth but the wolf was now running towards me through the water. He was close enough now that his scent burned my nose and turned my stomach. I needed to make my escape quickly.

"I will return for you my pet!" I yelled to the human as I vanished into the trees. I would find a way to take her. After all, I do have eternity ahead of me.

The wolf gave up his chase for me miles back. Like he stood a chance beforehand. She would be mine, bodyguard or not. I only needed to plan more carefully before I made my next move. Soon my dear human, soon I shall return for you.

* * *

**Okay this chapter took a little longer. Hopefully it clears a few questions up about what's going on. Pnce again, review if you like it or hate it. Or as most people have done, send me a PM and let me know what you think. Thanks to all who have sent me messages thus far. :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**8. Charlie**

**Edward's POV**

"_Alice… What's in La Push?"_

* * *

We all sat silently waiting for Alice to speak. I was becoming impatient with her. Her silence seemed to go on for hours and I was becoming frustrated and anxious. It would not have been so agonizing if she had at least unblocked her thoughts for me to scan for myself.

"Well…" Alice whispered and cut off. Every person in the room was completely silent, not even breathing. I played her vision in my head over and over. What did it mean?

"Alice…" I whispered just as softly as she, "Please. What's happening?"

"Victoria is here. Not here as in here in Forks, but here in Washington. She is planning to attack the Quileute tribe. There could only be one reason for her to want to be in La Push…"

"Bella is… alive?" Warmth flooded my entire body and I felt the need to gasp for air. I willed my legs to move to carry me to La Push but my body was frozen. Alice must have seen my plans.

"Now wait Edward. I never said that… I just can't see another reason for her to want to attack them. If she is still here, either she doesn't know Bella is dead, possibly catching the scent that came from La Push to here, or maybe Bella is alive. It would certainly explain why I didn't _see _her die, only disappear. Well, maybe it wouldn't explain why she disappeared but at least it's a start." Alice was smiling, the first time I had seen her smile since I left Bella. For a moment, it felt like I had my sister back.

"Carlisle, Esme, I still need you to go talk to Charlie. If Bella were in La Push, surely someone would have told him. He is close with the tribe correct? Maybe they know Victoria is near and are protecting her."

"Lets hope so." Carlisle took Esme's hand and they stood ready to leave but never left the dining room. They were both anxious but patiently waiting Alice's command to depart.

"Edward," Esme said to me in her motherly tone, "son would you like to listen to the conversation? In case Charlie knows something he doesn't want to tell us?" Her question surprised me. I hadn't thought about Charlie withholding information from my family. Thinking about it, the thought made sense. Why would he tell my _parents _where Bella is if he is afraid that I will return for her?

"Absolutely. You two take the Mercedes, and I'll run ahead. I'll be sure to stay out of sight and listen in."

I then turned my attention to Alice, "Alice, have you changed your mind on La Push? If you are still planning to make a run for the treaty line, I need to know so I can accompany you. If Bella is there, I will not let you go alone."

I could feel Jasper's tension from across the room. He didn't intend to let Alice out of his sight to even go upstairs, much less run willingly to enemy territory. Though he hadn't seen her vision as I had, he could feel my emotions enough to know there was danger ahead. He would have restrained Alice before she took one step towards the door or even a window.

"No Edward. I'm not sure why I saw myself running there, but I don't plan to cross the line." She looked at me in the eyes and her thoughts echoed her words. "Also, you need to get as close to Charlie as possible when you go with Carlisle and Esme. I know you can't usually hear him clearly, but if you are close to him, his new medication for sleep loosens up his thoughts somehow."

_I would finally be able to hear Charlie clearly? I had been so anxious to accept Esme's offer, I hadn't even remembered the vagueness of his mind._

Alice then turned to Jasper, "Jazz, honestly, I have no intention of leaving the house to go to La Push. Relax. You're even making me nervous." Jasper loosened his grip around Alice's shoulders but still didn't seem convinced. Without notice from the others, his eyes met mine.

"_Is she being truthful?"_

I nodded slightly enough that only he could see the movement. In response, he smiled and relaxed into his chair, still holding Alice's hands in his own.

"Okay everyone, it's time to get the plan into motion." Alice stood from her place at the table, Jasper following her lead, and walked over to where Carlisle and Esme stood hand in hand.

"Edward, give Carlisle and Esme a head start in the car, you'll see why. They should leave here in three minutes exactly. The timing will be perfect to catch Charlie in a good mood- as good as can be expected at least. I can't see the conversation because he isn't aware that they are stopping in, but I can see that he is much more cheerful than he was earlier. I can also see that the plan is going to work and that you will be able to hear his thoughts clearly. Emmett, Rose, you two need to scout the border of Forks for signs of Victoria. I know she's in Washington but I can't be sure which city. Stay together at all costs. Jazz and I will follow the treaty line incase she gets around you two."

"We will follow the line, not cross it correct?" Though I had assured Jasper that Alice had no plans to cross the line, his thoughts were still worried.

"That's correct. We will not cross the line." Alice was smiling into his eyes as brightly and as assuring as possible. Again, her thoughts echoed her words.

"Everyone has their phones right? First sign of trouble we will contact each other." Rosalie said out of nowhere.

"Yes." Everyone echoed in unison.

I was surprised to see Rosalie so into her assignment. I couldn't thank enough whatever higher power had made her suddenly care for Bella, but I couldn't be happier. Emmett's thoughts echoed mine as he wrapped one of his bear-like arms around her shoulders. Bella was his little sister in all sense of the word and he was just as excited that Rose cared as I was. Remembering when James had been tracking Bella, Rose was all but willing to throw her to the sharks. I was pleased with her sudden change of heart.

"It's time! Lets get this show on the road."

Alice bounced from Jasper's side to quickly hug everyone. As she made her round hugging everyone until she stopped in front of me. Looking me deeply in the eyes, her thoughts whispered what her words wouldn't dare say.

"_She's alive Edward. I'm positive. I can't tell you how I know, but you have to trust me. We will get her back. I promise."_

My breath caught in my throat. Though Alice hadn't had a vision of Bella being alive, I refused to bet against her. My entire being told me Bella was alive, and Alice's unspoken words only strengthened my internal feelings. My sister and I were both so attuned to Bella, surely we would feel it if she were gone from this world.

Without a word aloud to her, I wrapped her tiny body in my arms with all of my strength. Had Alice been human, my embrace would have crushed her bones into nothing. She understood my gesture as being grateful to her as she returned the bone-crushing hug. As we parted ways, Alice smiled her brightest smile at me and returned to Jasper's side. I was still floating as I heard the door close behind my family.

I stood silently for a few more moments before I decided to run to Bella's house to listen in on the conversation my parents were about to have with Charlie. I wasn't sure how long Carlisle and Esme were gone or how long I stood transfixed with the idea of Bella being alive but I knew I needed to leave now. Carlisle and Esme had a pretty good head start on me, though I knew I would still beat them there on foot.

Without closing the door behind me, I ran at full speed through the familiar path until I reached the edge of the woods to Bella's home. Carlisle and Esme pulled up to the house just moments after I peered through the trees.

"_Stay out of sight. Don't forget son. Charlie can't know you're here under any circumstance." _Carlisle's thoughts called out to me from the car.

They were moving slowly at human pace and barely out of the car. They had just reached the door and already I was fighting myself to run across the yard and knock it down to get my answers sooner. No wonder Alice told me to wait let them get a head start.

_Never doubt Alice's intentions. _I told myself.

Just as quietly as they arrived, Carlisle took one of Esme's hands in his and gently knocked. I could hear Charlie stir from inside, his thoughts muffled. I needed to get closer as soon as I was able.

I heard him mumble a little longer to himself then make his way to the door. I could tell by the silence of his thoughts and his hitched breathing that he hadn't expected to see my parents standing in front of him. It seemed like ages before he gathered his thoughts and spoke to them.

"Um… Hello Dr. Cullen, Mrs. Cullen. What brings you here?" _Hope… son isn't… That boy… My Bella…_

His thoughts were as muffled to me now as they always had been before. Alice said I would be able to hear thoroughly if I were close enough. Without questioning Alice, I listened intently to the thoughts all around me to make sure none of the neighbors were paying attention and I darted across the lawn and up through Bella's window. What better way to get close to Charlie unnoticed? After all, I had done it every night for months in the past without his knowledge.

Stepping back into Bella's room, her smell hit me again, as it always had in the past. It was faint at this point in her absence, but it was still the most magnificent smell in the world. My throat burned, but only slightly and I silently cursed under my breath as the monster inside myself began to claw in an attempt to get out. I needed to focus on the conversation below me rather than Bella's scent. It wasn't going to be an easy task, the monster was sure of that.

As I moved my focus to the thoughts and voices downstairs, I could hear that Charlie had invited Carlisle and Esme inside and offered them something to drink. Esme, never wanting to sound impolite, accepted a glass of tea from Charlie. I could hear her gags as she tried to hold it down. From Carlisle's thoughts, I could see the slight look of disgust on Esme's features. Charlie wouldn't notice the look of course but even so I whispered my apologies to Esme for having to endure this all for me. I would find a way to repay her once I had Bella in my arms again. I saw her nod slightly from Carlisle's thoughts as a smile plastered on her delicate face.

"So, what brings you two here today? You haven't decided to come back to Forks have you?" _Lets hope not. That _boy _of theirs caused enough damage to my Bella._

I know Alice told me I would be able to hear Charlie's thoughts unaltered but I was impressed at the clarity nonetheless. It was so unusual. I perched myself on Bella's bed like old times and listened to the voices downstairs while trying to keep my focus off of her room.

"We have considered returning but our entire family has to agree before anything is permanent." Carlisle answered Charlie. I could hear Charlie grunt in response and Carlisle took that as his cue to continue the conversation alone.

"Actually Charlie, we were here to ask about Bella. My wife and I returned to Forks for a meeting with the hospital about my old job and heard that Bella has gone missing. Is this true?"

Charlie was silent for a moment then his thoughts took over, "_Hasn't been in town ten minutes and already knows about my home life. Maybe if they hadn't _left _in the first place Bella wouldn't have begun acting out as she has been lately. Oh Bella... Please be okay wherever you are."_

"Actually, yes, Bella just up and left two weeks ago without a word. Fortunately for me, she was found at La Push with a family friend named Billy Black and his son Jacob. Since your family left she hasn't been herself and she has spent a lot of time there…" Charlie trailed off.

"_Not like it kept her out of trouble being around Jacob. Nothing like being called to arrest your own daughter. I wish I could say that this is the first time she has left home." _Charlie's thoughts shocked me. What could Bella have possibly been doing to be arrested?

"Is that so?" Carlisle tried to get him to continue with no prevail. When Charlie said nothing, Carlisle continued, "Where is she now?"

"_What do they care where she is? They didn't even call when they left…" _"I don't know where she is. She spent a few nights there but one morning a week ago Jacob went to his room where she had been staying to check on her and she was gone. He hasn't been himself since. He's stopped taking my phone calls, hasn't gone to school, and when I go visit, Billy always says he doesn't want to see anyone."

Charlie's mind began to show me glimpses of my Bella. She was paler and even thinner than when I left. The look in her eyes was dead and she seemed to be just going through the motions of living. In the vision of him arresting her, she was trespassing on school grounds. What had she been doing? At least it was something minor. From his previous thoughts, I had expected the worst.

My chest ached to see Bella's frail body and to know that I was the cause or all of her wrong doings. If I could, I would throw myself through fire if she could forgive me. I would deserve nothing less. I would burn for a century if she would take me back.

"_Hmm... I wonder…" _Carlisle's thoughts reached me and brought me out of my own masochistic thoughts.

"Charlie, do you think you could get Billy Black on the phone for me? I'd like to speak with him." I wasn't sure what Carlisle was getting at but he had to be on to something.

"Uhh…" Charlie stumbled. "I guess I can. Why?" Of course Charlie would be suspicious with the way my parents just appeared out of thin air. I hope Carlisle had a good excuse for Charlie's question. Of course he did.

"I am concerned for Jacob. I would like to see him incase he needs to see a specialist for his depression. Free of charge of course. First I would need permission from his father." I had to hand it to Carlisle, to be so perfect and honest, he could tell a lie with little effort when the situation called for it.

"_Coming into my house asking questions. It's like they know something I don't. I wish they would just spit it out already. Where did I put my phone? I doubt Billy will want to talk to him. He never did favor the Cullens when they lived here." _

I could hear Charlie get out of his chair and make his way to the phone in the kitchen. I heard his footsteps moving about on the floor below as he stumbled around looking for the cordless. Had I not known Esme came into the house wit Carlisle, I would have forgotten she was there. Her thoughts were silent and she made no noise below me, apparently finished drinking her tea.

"_Edward, does he know anything he isn't telling us?"_ Carlisle's thoughts questioned.

Just loud enough for him and Esme to hear I whispered back, "He thinks we know something he doesn't. He is worried about Bella but apparently it's not the first time she was wandered off. She hasn't been herself since we left."

I could hear Carlisle churning the thought around in his head. He was as confused as I was. Maybe we can get some answers once we get Billy on the phone. If anyone knows anything, it's him. His son was the last reported person to see Bella.

Apparently Charlie had found his phone and gotten Billy to answer. I could hear his voice trailing upstairs to me, "Hey Billy, it's Charlie. I have someone here who wants to talk to you about your boy. Just give him a chance okay? He came here looking for Bella." "_Why, I don't know but at least he seems to care."_

I couldn't hear Billy's response over the phone from here but I was sure he would be confused. Once his confusion ended, he would be angry at having to speak with Carlisle. Hopefully he could cooperate enough to meet us off of his land.

The conversation between Billy Black and Carlisle ended quickly. It seemed that Billy had agreed to meet with us but he was bringing protection. What protection could he possibly possess against us? All of the wolves died off years ago.

"_Edward,_" Carlisle's thoughts spoke to me, "_We need to get out of here. I have a good idea who he is bringing with him. The entire family needs to be warned. Go now and get everyone to meet back at the house. We only have one hour."_

What could Carlisle know? I didn't have time to ask questions. I made my swift exit out of the window that once led to my sanctuary. The peace that seemed so long ago, almost an eternity.

_Snap out of it Edward._ _You have a job to do. _I growled to myself.

I ran at full speed across the lawn and into the woods allowing Esme and Carlisle to say their goodbyes to Charlie properly. The last thoughts I heard from him were mumbles about me hoping I didn't return with my family. He was worried about where Bella was at the moment, but he was even more worried that I would return and hurt her again once she came back. I couldn't stand the visions he had of Bella's state after my family and I had moved on. It was excruciatingly painful to see but I deserved every vision he unknowingly showed me. The vision that hurt the most was when Bella was found after I left her. Apparently she had led herself deep into the woods and just given up. How could I have been so cruel to her?

Before I could reach for my phone to call the rest of my family, it was already vibrating in my pocket. Coming to a slow from my run towards my home, I answered to hear Alice.

"Rose and Emmett checked the entire border of Forks with no sign of Victoria. I do have news though. Bella's scent is fresh and it leads over the treaty line along with some other smell that burns my nose. Jazz and I followed it to the line and it only got stronger from there. I have my theory but I'll wait until we're all together. Don't worry about calling Rose and Emmett, I already did. See you at the house."

She hung up quickly. Of course she had already seen that we were coming home for a meeting. I'm sure Alice knows what Carlisle is going to tell us as well but I would have to wait and see as it played out.

_I swear, if I find her, I will no longer deny her immortality. I want her with me forever._

The idea of forever with Bella brought a smile to my face and I pushed harder to reach the house. Billy must know something and we would find out. The meeting could not come soon enough for me.

I reached the house before Carlisle and Esme but after everyone else. Rose, Emmett, Jasper, and Alice were all at the dining room table waiting for our arrival, thoughts ablaze. We were all curious as to what we were about to hear from our parents, all of us, except Alice who chewed on her bottom lip nervously as Bella always did. She was playing the vision in her head of Charlie and Carlisle then it shifted to the vision she had of herself running to La Push.

"_Why hasn't this vision changed? It's only gotten more prominent. Why on Earth would I run over there without a thought? Even if Bella is there, we would get her back in a civilized manner right?" _Even Alice is confused with her vision? I can only imagine why.

I watched her play both visions in her head over and over until Carlisle and Esme walked through the front door at human pace. All thoughts in the room became silent at once as they made their way to the table to join us. We sat quietly until Carlisle began to speak.

"Billy Black has agreed to meet with us in the clearing where we play baseball. It's a safe spot for both parties involved so neither has the upper hand. Apparently he is bringing protection. Before you laugh at the idea of something fighting us, I have a theory on this. Many years ago we ran into the werewolves, this was before Alice and Jasper joined us. Do you all remember?"

We all nodded in agreement and our thoughts all came to the same place.

"Well, I think the gene has resurfaced. That would explain the ammonia smell from the forest. Alice, it may also explain why your visions are going blank. You most likely can't see visions of the wolves. I will need you to stay here during the meeting tonight. The blindness that you will most likely have could be the very thing that pushes you to follow your vision and cross the treaty line." Alice scowled but said nothing.

"But why?" I asked, "What could make the gene resurface? We were here months ago with no sign of their return, why all of a sudden?"

"The need to protect their tribe could have set it off. With us living here and being so close to Bella, perhaps their instincts took over? Or with Victoria in the vicinity, that could be why Jacob stopped speaking with Charlie. Maybe he changed and is trying to learn to control himself." Carlisle, always the voice of reason, spoke as calmly as if he were discussing a medical procedure. I guess, by technicality, he was.

"If the werewolves are back, won't Bella be in danger over there?" My voice began to rise and my fists were clenched under the table. As I pictured one of those _dogs _hurting Bella, I felt a low growl deep in my chest begin to surface and my legs shake in an attempt to run.

"Son we don't know that. We will meet with the tribe tonight like civilized people and discuss this calmly. All we want to know is that Bella is alive and safe, nothing else matters."

I knew he was right but I couldn't shake the feeling of her being in danger with the young wolves. They were just as dangerous as a newborn vampire following their thirst and not their minds. A wolf's transformation was on impulse, nothing more.

"When do we leave?" I couldn't control my anxiety any further. I had to know that Bella was safe. Before he could answer me, Alice interrupted.

"Carlisle, I'm going to the meeting. I can't see how it goes but I can see that we all emerge in one piece afterwards. Deciding not to go didn't damper the vision of myself running over the line so therefore I refuse to sit here." It was very unlike Alice to speak against Carlisle but he didn't want to argue. He nodded in agreement and moved to stand, Esme at his side.

"I agreed to meet with them at ten o' clock tonight. We all need to hunt and prepare for the meeting just incase there is a fight. Everyone must be in control of his or her actions. I will not let it be us to start the war, am I understood?" It wasn't often the Carlisle used his voice of authority but when he did, it certainly made an impression.

We each agreed and made our way to the forest to hunt. It was only eleven in the morning and already the anxiety of waiting until ten tonight was breaking down my restraints. I needed to give myself over to the hunt in order to keep my sanity in tact. I could already taste the mountain lion's blood coursing down my throat. I would run as far as I had to in order to keep my mind from Bella- the mountain lion would be my reward.

* * *

**This chapter was a little different than I had planned but I hope you liked it nonetheless. I have a lot of readers but very few comments. Please let me know what you think.**


	9. Chapter 9

**9. A Sick Request**

**Edward's POV**

While on the hunt, I ran for many miles to escape the worried thoughts of my family. Each member was afraid of a possible fight with the wolves- All but Carlisle of course.

Carlisle has a calm way about him. If I didn't know better, I would think he possessed the same gift as Jasper. He has always been so sure of himself. Yet another aspect of his that I respected and yearned for in myself. Had I been as sure of myself as he around Bella, she would be at my side right now.

After being filled to the point of sloshing on mountain lion blood, I relaxed in the grass of an open field I came across. It wasn't as beautiful as the meadow Bella and I shared, but it was still breath taking all the same.

Thoughts of Bella lying in the meadow brought a smile to my face. Every since realizing that Bella is possibly alive, it has taken all of the strength I possess to keep myself from running to La Push to get her. The war would not be started on my behalf. I had made my promise to Carlisle.

"_Edward?"_

Alice thought as she approached me from behind. I stood lazily from my spot in the grass to face my pixie sister.

"I'm not comfortable about tonight. It's not everyday that I'm blind…"

Her thoughts trailed off.

"Alice, you said you can see us coming out of the meeting correct?" She was directly in front of my now with her head bowed. I placed my hands on her drooped shoulders in a gesture meant to calm her.

"Yes but… Edward I can't _see! _What if one of them makes a split decision to attack? I won't see it coming! Right now they are under orders but from what Carlisle has told me about these shape shifters, they act on impulse alone."

"I know you don't feel comfortable without your sight, but we have to do this if we hope to get Bella back. Carlisle still has hope that you will choose not to join us in the meeting tonight. He doesn't want you to be uncomfortable and on edge. He believes it's the quickest way to induce a battle. Can you please reconsider staying at the house? I know Jasper would feel better if you did."

How I wish I could dazzle Alice into doing as I asked like I can humans. Carlisle was upset with himself when he had asked Alice to stay behind but he also knew it was best for the family and for Bella if she weren't there.

I had expected Alice to rip herself from my grip on her shoulders and curse me for even considering that she stay behind. However, her response was much more defeated than I could have imagined. I almost felt bad for my request… Almost.

"I will… Stay home. It's what's best for my family. There is no doubt about that." Her voice was barely a whisper. She stepped closer to me and wrapped her tiny arms around my waist to embrace me in a hug. "Just promise me something Edward. I'll know if you're bluffing so you must mean this promise." She tilted her head up to meet my eyes with the most sincere look I had ever seen. There was no fathomable way I could deny any request she asked at that moment.

"Of course Alice, I promise. What would you like me to do for you?"

Her reply was in her mind's voice, not her actual one, which made it that much more heart breaking to hear.

"_Edward… Promise me that if something happens to Jasper, you will send me along after him."_

My breath caught in my throat and my body refused to move.

Did she just ask me to… kill her?

Her eyes glazed over as she saw my pending reaction to her request in a vision. "Yes Edward," She said aloud, "I did ask that of you. You promised and I won't let you forget."

As if I could ever forget her request. Even if I didn't have a flawless memory, her words would have haunted my every thought for the rest of eternity.

"Alice…"

"No Edward! Had you found Bella's body, you would be dead right this second so don't you DARE say it's okay to move on if I lose him."

"That's not the same Alice! That thought didn't even cross my mind. I know how hard it would be for you to lose him and I wouldn't think less of you if you decided to end your life as well." I was beginning to growl and Alice removed herself from our hug and slowly backed away. How dare she think I wouldn't understand the loss of a mate?

'How? How is it not the same thing?" Her voice was just as fierce as mine. I had never heard her angry before.

"It's not the same because I would NEVER ask you to do the job for me. Yes, I understand that this existence is useless without Jasper for you, and that you would do anything to follow him into whatever end this life holds for our kind but I refuse to be the one to end your life for you Bella!"

"_Bella?" _Alice and I both said in our heads at the same time.

"Why did you call me… Bella…?"

"I…" I stopped to calm myself before continuing. "When Bella asked me to change her before… I told her I refused to end her life for her. I guess my subconscious is trying to tell me something."

"Bella _asked _to be with you forever? And you refused?"

Apparently Alice hadn't seen that vision. After all of the hysterics on Bella's birthday, it didn't surprise me that she missed it.

"Yes. She asked and I refused to change her. I felt like I was being selfish to want to take her human life away just so I could be with her. She deserves a normal life doesn't she Alice?"

Alice was silence for a few moments before she responded, "Edward, think about what you just said. You used "Bella" and "normal" in the same sentence. We all know and love Bella but you know as well as I do that she is far from normal. You say that if you had a choice of living a human's life and being immortal, you would choose to live a human's life, correct?"

"Yes." I breathed.

" Well Bella _does_ have a choice and she _did_ choose to spend eternity with you. Of course she deserves to be human and grow old, we all did, but I know for a fact she would be happy with this life as long as you are there with her." Alice tapped a tiny finger to her head. Of course she was right. Alice is always right.

"I just… Didn't want to picture Bella frozen into this existence as we are. She loves the sun, she loves her parents, and she…"

"Loves you." Alice interrupted. "She can still see her parents and she can still enjoy the sun in private if she becomes one of us. What she won't be able to have is the only thing she truly wants. If she stays human, she will lose you forever.

"That's not true. I could still be with her… Until the end." I tried to argue with no prevail.

"In this world, it is inappropriate for a seventeen-year-old boy to be romantically involved with a grown woman. She would have to give up her life anyway to be with you because society would be cruel. At least if she is bitten, she can have you, have her family, and be happy. Either way, I can see that once we get her back you have chosen to change her. Don't forget that when we find her."

"I won't. I promise."

"And for your other promise, and you did promise, I still expect you to follow through. If I am to continue to the next life, it will be by the hands of those I love, not the monsters in Italy who would do nothing but attempt to add me to their collection."

Her words stung but I promised. The only thing left to do now is make sure Jasper is safe. I didn't want to be the one to end my sister's existence so if the only thing holding her here is Jasper, I would do everything in my power to keep him out of harm's way. Maybe I could coax him into staying home as well?

"Thank you Edward. I'm going to head back now and leave you to your thoughts." Alice smiled and bounced away before I had a chance to reply. She had seen that I planned to talk to Jasper and she was happy about it. Hopefully that meant he would be easy to persuade.

* * *

"Jasper, can I speak with you for a moment?"

I found Jasper in Carlisle's study reading one of the books off the shelf. Alice made herself scarce to give us some privacy.

"Of course." Jasper said as he mimicked Carlisle's tone of voice. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, you heard Carlisle ask Alice to refrain from going to the meeting tonight with the wolves. I was wondering if you would stay behind as well."

Many emotions passed across Jasper's face until one stuck- Worry.

"Is Alice planning on running over the line? Is that why I need to be here? Edward just say the word and I will strap her down if I must. I refuse to let…"

"No Jasper. She still has no plans to run over the line but I feel that it would be better for her to have you here. She is upset enough about missing the meeting tonight without being unable to see if you're okay. Please, for your wife, stay here."

Jasper pondered the idea in his head for several moments. Being a man of strategy and military background, it was difficult for him to miss out on a possible battle. However, being a man in love with his wife, it was even more impossible to deny her.

"Okay Edward. I'll stay behind with Alice. Please be sure to clear this with Carlisle beforehand though. He is the leader after all and I don't want to leave my family one man down."

"_It's alright if Jasper stay behind Edward. I don't expect tonight to lead to a fight."_

Carlisle must have heard Jasper and I speaking from the living room. His thoughts seemed content enough. Of course he didn't expect a fight. Carlisle always had the best of intentions and saw the good in everyone.

"It's fine with Carlisle, Jasper. Just stay here and look after Alice."

Jasper nodded and I proceeded toward my own room. Just a few moments of peace was all I asked for. It was seven o clock by this time and the meeting was still three hours away. I wanted to go to my room, yet I didn't want to be in this house. Something was calling me to Forks but I couldn't be sure what. I had only placed my hand on my door's handle when Alice's vision flashed in my mind.

I could see myself stretched out on Bella's bed. I had a peaceful smile on my face with my eyes tightly closed as if I were asleep. I needed to go. That look of serenity was too much for me to object to.

"Thanks Alice!" I said aloud as I ran at vampire speed past her and Jasper's room and out of the front door. Though I knew Bella wouldn't be in her room when I arrived, I could still feel the peace welling inside of me by just being there. The thought made me push my legs harder all the way until I reached the edge of the woods.

Peering across the yard and into Charlie's window, I could see the lights were on and Charlie was pacing. I couldn't be sure why. I listened closely for any thoughts from him or the neighbors before I made my way swiftly across the yard and into Bella's vacant window. As expected, her scent was still fading with no sign of her return. Without hesitating, I sprawled across her bed and allowed myself to relax and listen to Charlie's pacing below me.

I wasn't sure how long I sat in total silence just enjoying where I was before I heard something outside nearing the house. It sounded like it was trying to be stealthy. Immediately I sat up and listened harder, straining my senses.

"_Damn, Charlie is still awake. Wonder if I can get in and out before he notices anything."_

_This person knows Charlie?_

"_Okay Jacob, just like before. Climb the tree and throw yourself in the room. Okay, not like before. Last time, Bella had the window open for me. What do I do? I could always wait until Charlie falls asleep and use the key Bella said was under the eve. I didn't want to be here that long but I guess it's okay to wait a little longer."_

_Who is this person and how does he know my Bella? She had let a strange _boy _enter her room through her window, some boy other than myself? Wait a minute… Jacob… Billy Black's son. I remember him from the night at prom when he cut in to dance with Bella. Is Bella romantically involved with him? Maybe she is happier without me. _

I got off of Bella's bed and listened for more thoughts from Jacob, anything to give me a clue that he was dating Bella. There was nothing in his mind worthwhile to listen to as he sat behind a tree a good distance away from the house, apparently waiting for Charlie to go to sleep. I tried to hone in on Charlie's thoughts instead.

"_Billy still has the La Push boys looking for signs of Bella. I can't believe she has been gone for this long. Well, at least I haven't had to come pick her up again. I still can't imagine what she was doing in the records office. Why would transcripts and records interest her?" _

Finally Alice's vision made sense! Bella was in the school's record's office looking _my _transcripts and records. She wanted to see where I was. That had to be it! Why else would she do something like that?

"_I guess Sue and the kids are okay since she hasn't called. I wish I hadn't been out looking for Bella when Harry passed. I couldn't grieve for my long time friend properly while worrying for my daughter's safety. I should go to La Push tomorrow. It's been a few weeks since I've gone. I guess I really should get to bed. This medication works fast…"_

I could hear Charlie turn the lights off below me and slowly make his way up the stairs. Before he got to his room, he stopped quietly outside Bella's door.

"Maybe one day I'll peek in here and see my daughter sleeping soundly again…"

I heard his hand rest gently on the door handle and I quickly threw myself into Bella's closet, almost tripping on a black garbage bag as I went.

After only a moment of Charlie looking around the room, he stifled a yawn and made his way to his own, gently closing the door behind him, leaving Bella's door ajar. I took this time to peer into the unusual bag at my feet. To my surprise, it was Bella's birthday presents from my family. She had everything thrown in here, even the photo album and camera from her parents.

I took the beaten album into my hands. Looking through it, I could see every picture Bella had taken of her friends, the one of her and Charlie, which I took, and different pictures from around Forks. However, the spaces that once held pictures of me were still blank. I guess she hadn't noticed her upturned floorboards.

I made my way over to the spot on the floor where I had hidden the pictures and cd so many months ago. Inside, the cd and all of the pictures still remained intact- At least, all of the pictures but one. I kept with me the picture of Bella and I since the day I had hidden the rest. Her eyes never ceased to hurt my core. She looked so frightened in the photo. Her instincts were telling her what her mind didn't want to believe. She knew I was leaving her, but she didn't allow herself to believe it, at least… not until we were in the forest.

I sat silently staring at the pictures I hadn't taken with me until I gently placed them back in the cubby of the floor. As I replaced the floorboards, I could hear Jacob's thoughts getting closer to me from outside in the yard.

"_It can't be. Why would there be a vampire in Bella's room? Surely that sadistic female isn't in there." _I could hear his breath catch as he tried not to breathe in my scent. Apparently my smell burns his nose as badly as his burns mine.

He moved quickly towards the front door once he picked up on my scent in the yard. His excitement was growing in an anticipation of a fight. On impulse, I decided to go out the way I came and run back to the safety of my own house. I knew on instinct that it I was to stay in Bella's room as this Jacob person entered, I would have to kill him. If he is the one Bella loves now, I refuse to do such a thing.

As soon as I heard him step inside down stairs, I jumped to the outside of the window and quietly closed it behind me before hitting the ground and running at full speed towards the forest. I could tell from the smell that the scent from the woods days ago was Jacobs. I could never forget that smell of ammonia that burned my nose so badly. It was all around Bella's smell. Even Charlie had said Bella spent a lot of time with Jacob. Does she know he's a wolf?

_Leave it to Bella to find other monsters when the vampires leave. _

Had I not been so worried for Bella's safety, I might have laughed. Either way, it was now nine forty. My family would be waiting for my return so we could go meet the wolves. I wonder if that was why Jacob needed to be back so quickly. Of course he would stand tall by his father's side tonight and face my family. At least Alice and Jasper would be away from any form of danger.

_If they are both safe, I won't have to worry about keeping my sick promise to Alice._

**This chapter is a little shorter than the last one but up next, the meeting! I'm working on thay chapter now. It will be posted today sometime.**

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	10. Chapter 10

**10. The Tribe**

**Edward's POV**

"There you are!" Alice screamed at me. "I saw you go to Bella's but then everything went black. It took the entire family to restrain me! Emmett and Jasper were about to come check on you. What happened?"

"Calm down Alice. I was at Bella's house until Jacob Black showed up."

"No wonder my sight went black. He's a wolf right?"

"Yes."

"So? What happened?"

"I'm not really sure." I said honestly. "I was there in Bella's room relaxing myself and looking around, as you saw before I left, and I heard his thoughts from outside. He was remembering how he had gotten into Bella's room before but he never thought about _why _he was there this time or the time in the past. I wonder if he has a relationship with Bella and I'm interfering." I dropped my head. I knew Alice couldn't look with her sight to search for my answer but I could still hope.

"From the visions I got of Bella before they were black, Jacob was just a convenience, a friend if you will. She looked to be comfortable with him but she still looked pained. She loves you, not him. He must have transformed right after those visions since I can no longer see them together. That's why I couldn't see her come home from La Push or go back, he was with her. He must have been at the lake in the last vision I saw."

"Couldn't that friendship have turned into something more in the past few days? She's apparently there with him now isn't she?" My chest ached as I pictured Bella wrapped in his arms. How could Alice take all of this information so coolly?

"I doubt anything has changed but either way, you'll find out shortly. Carlisle is ready to go. Everyone is waiting outside for you. Jasper is taking them as far as the clearing incase there is a surprise attack then he is returning here. Thank you again for getting him not to go Edward." Alice quickly embraced me and danced out of the room before I could respond. My mind was still on Jacob Black and I couldn't make my body get out of the house quickly enough. I had to know what was going on with Bella.

Upon stepping outside, everyone waiting just as Alive had said. It was only a short run to the field so we would make it with plenty of time to spare.

"Everyone ready?" Carlisle asked as he looked at each of us. Emmett was standing off to the side doing his impersonation of a boxer, just hoping for a fight, Rosalie was holding Esme's hand, both looking anxious, and Jasper was standing next to Carlisle, his military face plastered on.

Without another word, we ran towards the field. I held back my speed slightly so we could all arrive at one time. Each of us was on our guard in case of a sneak attack.

After several minutes, we reached the clearing. Jasper and Emmett scouted out the area to be sure we were alone before returning to our group. We wanted no surprises from them.

"Alright everyone, this is where I leave you. Are you sure you don't want me to stick around?" Jasper looked torn. He wanted to return to Alice, as he promised he would, but his military personality was overriding his husband duties.

"We're fine Jasper. Return to Alice and keep her relaxed. I know this must be difficult for her." Carlisle's words sunk in and Jasper nodded and left the clearing. We each stood in silence awaiting the wolves' arrival.

At two minutes past ten, I could hear their thoughts in the distance.

"I can hear them." I whispered to my family.

"How many?" Carlisle asked. It was at that moment that I had a flashback of Bella. My family was enjoying a game of baseball when the nomads approached. I had almost lost Bella in this very spot. I growled at the thought. Carlisle took my growl the wrong way as my entire family lowered into their hunting crouches.

"No, it's fine. I was just having a flashback. I apologize for giving you the wrong idea. Their thoughts are hostile but they're under orders of the Alpha not to attack. There are five in all, four of which are wolves. The leader is in his human form. He is leading Billy here in his chair. The others are in their wolf form."

"Good, so they do not anticipate a fight either if their leader is in a human state. This meeting will run smoothly then." Carlisle had a smile on his face as we waited for what was to come. I had so many questions but only would demand an answer to one.

Billy and the lead wolf came though the clearing to meet us in the center, however, the other wolves stood back just watching. Their only purpose was for protection incase we decided to attack.

"Hello Cullens." Billy said. "What do you want to discuss with us? We're on the lookout for the red-haired female leech on our side of the line. What else do you want from us?" His voice was bitter but stern.

"We came here to ask you about Bella Swan. Charlie is worried sick and desperately needs her home. Do you know where she is?" Carlisle kept his voice steady.

_"Why is he worried about Bella? Filthy bloodsucker only wanted to drain her anyway. Charlie may be upset right now but we will protect Bella at all costs."_

"As I told Charlie, she was at our house and then Jake went to check on her and she was gone. We haven't seen her since then. I've given orders to the pack to find her. They haven't yet."

I could hear the minds of the pack grow louder from the edge of the forest. They were amused that we believed the lies of the elder. Bella is with them I know she is, their thoughts confirm my suspicions. For their own sake, she better not be there against her will.

"We could smell her trail leading back to La Push mixed with the smell of your son. If you are being truthful, then you may need to have the pack's noses seen about." Carlisle was getting angry but his voice was still steady. Even without being a mind reader, he could see through Billy's lie as clearly as I could.

The pack didn't like how Carlisle was speaking to their elder. Growls of protest reached us from across the field sending Rosalie's thoughts into a blur. She and Emmett were already growing tired of this game and their movements were getting antsy.

"You know the rules leech," Sam, the known leader jumped in, "You have to stay on your side of the treaty line and take our word that Bella is not there. Break the treaty, and we will gladly rip you apart and burn you." A smile rose to his lips but it wasn't his voice I was concerned with. It was the thoughts coming from Jacob Black that bothered me.

"_Filthy bloodsucker will not get his hands on_ my _Bella. She loves, me, I know she does. Staying with me at La Push will only strengthen it over time. She was happy when I brought her fresh clothes and_ Wuthering Heights _earlier. I wish I had caught Edward in her house. I would have taken him out then and there._

I listened to his arrogant thoughts a few more moments before I lost control. I hadn't even noticed that Sam and Carlisle had begun to argue next to me. Seeing Bella's face as she was practically held hostage with false lies sickened me to my core.

I could see from his thoughts that Bella was living in his bedroom. She wasn't there against her will but she was there under false pretenses. She had been told over and over that Charlie would be killed if she went to his house again. Bella, being the martyr she had always been, believed his lies. He found her the day after she decided she wanted to find the meadow. However, he and the pack were too distracted with Laurent to take her back to La Push, Jacob found her later at the lake which was why Alice thought she died. She knew he was a wolf and she had seen Victoria watching her. I had to admit, I was at least thankful for Jacob being that that time.

"Enough!" I growled loudly. "Jacob Black, you will bring Bella back to me!"

All thoughts around me froze suddenly. Had Bella not told them that I can read minds? Apparently she had not because as the pack's thoughts began to grow louder, they were filled with shock that I knew what Jacob could see in his head just as they could.

An amused sound reached me from across the field as Jacob's body shook with laughter. He slowly left the cover of the trees and made his way over to me, screaming insults in his mind all the way.

"Jacob, fall back." Sam's voice commanded.

Jacob continued his stride over to me. Sam may be the alpha, but his command had no effect on Jacob.

"_You want her leech, come and get her. I would rather see her dead than to be a vampire. I would kill her myself I let that happen. Don't look at Sam to stop me. The position of alpha is rightfully mine. I'm the grandson of Ephraim Black." _Even in his wolf form, I could see the smirk on his face.

"I will have her dog, if I have to cross the treaty line and kill you, I will get her back." I was in my crouch now, as was Rosalie and Emmett. Carlisle and Esme stood strong trying to get us to calm down to hold the treaty in tact.

"Like hell you will cross the line!" Sam yelled. The other wolves were beginning to approach seeing the possible fight unfold before their eyes. I could hear the thoughts of other wolves running to join us. Apparently their communication isn't cut off with distance.

"Billy," I turned my attention, "Give Bella back to Charlie. It's not right for you to lie that he is in danger if she is there with him. Victoria will go to her house whether she is there or not. Charlie needs his daughter back before he loses his mind."

Billy looked at me silently for a moment before replying. "As soon as I return her to Charlie, you will swoop in and kill her."

"Your assumptions are absurd. I would never hurt Bella and I certainly wouldn't lie to her just to get her to be with me."

"Then what? What will you do to her? You will bite her and kill her. She would be better off dead than to be one of _you. _I know Charlie would rather see her in a coffin than as one of the undead!"

His words struck me and caused me to send an ear-shattering growl through the forest. Just as I crouched, ready to destroy the old ignorant man for his words, I was tackled to the ground by an unseen force. I thrashed but was unable to move. Once one hand was broken free and I was ready to kill whoever was on top of me, I realized who the person, or should I say vampire, was.

"Jasper? What's wrong?"

"_It's Alice. She got a vision and took off out the door. We have to stop her. Please!"_ I had never seen Jasper panic before. With him emotions going crazy, it was making all of us panic without reason.

Without responding to his unspoken plea, I got to my feet and began to run. I knew just as well as he did where Alice was going. We had to hurry before she reached her destination. The confused thoughts of my family stayed in place behind me as Carlisle tried to calm everyone down. No one, not even Jacob, followed us.

"Alice!" Jasper yelled, as we got closer to the line. "Please Alice, stop!"

I remember this part from the vision. Alice was already over the line and Jasper and I were about to stop. The difference in her vision and reality, I had no intentions of stopping and I wasn't sure that Jasper did either. I was right.

"_Edward, I'm crossing the line. I will not stop when we reach it."_

"Nor will I."

By the time we reached the actual line, I was a good distance ahead of Jasper. Being the fastest member in the family had its advantages but it would have been nice if we could have crossed into enemy territory at the same time. However, I had no intentions of slowing to wait for him. That was until the new scent hit me and my entire body came to a halt and Jasper crashed into me.

"Why the hell are we stopping?" Jasper growled. He got to his feet but the scent hit him quickly as well.

"Victoria?" He whispered.

I took a deep breath but nodded. Is that what Alice had seen? I guess since the rest of the wolves were on the way to the clearing to fight, Alice had her sight back.

Before I could get a good feel on the trail, Jasper had picked it up and was running. Thankfully he was an excellent tracker. Where we found Victoria, we would find Alice and Bella.

I followed Jasper blindly until I was close enough to hear Alice's thoughts. She was in battle with Victoria and she wasn't exactly winning. Victoria wasn't alone. Leave it to her to find an advantage. From what I could tell, she only had one other male vampire with her. At least she didn't have too much of an upper hand.

Upon realizing the odds of the battle, a scent hit my nose and made my throat scorch as if a fire was lit inside of it. At the same time, my stomach turned and made my body feel weak. It was Bella's blood that I smelt and it was flowing openly. Jasper could smell it to but his entire focus was on defending Alice, he wouldn't harm Bella. I think he was actually holding his breath.

Jasper and I burst through the door to the garage Alice had seen in her vision of Bella and Jacob before he was a werewolf. Searching the room frantically, I found Alice hunched over Bella's bleeding body growling at Victoria. Though Alice's bloodlust was growing and her resistance was wearing thin, she was repeating the same phrase over and again in her head, "_I will not kill Bella, I will not kill Bella."_

Upon seeing me, Bella began to convulse and scream for me. The sound of her voice, even in dire pain, made my body warm from the inside out. Even in her state, I couldn't help but be thankful that she was there and that she wanted me by her side.

"Edward, she's losing a lot of blood. I can't get it to stop!" Alice was shrieking at me but she didn't turn her gaze from Victoria. Alice was the fiercest vampire I had ever seen in all of my existence at this moment. A mother lioness protecting her cubs had nothing on the wrath of Alice.

"My dear Edward," Victoria sneered, "you will suffer as I have suffered. You will watch your mate die and spend eternity without her as I have to do without James." The smile that came to Victoria's lips was sickening.

Without a glance back at me, she ran from the small garage, the male behind her. Her thoughts echoed in triumph. I crouched, ready to head after her when Alice's thoughts stopped me.

"_Edward, Jas and I can't take the smell. Stay with Bella, we'll get her." _

_"_Jasper! Lets go!" Jasper took a breath and froze. His eyes were on Bella, bloodlust evident on his face but with a flash, he grabbed Alice's hand and they were gone from the room. In that same instant, I was at Bella's side and her wounds bled as she convulsed harder, panting out my name each time.

Examining her body, I couldn't tell what all was broken and how badly she was hurt, only that the blood wouldn't slow even when I applied pressure to the open wounds in her stomach. I could just see the look in James' eyes from the ballet studio as I fought him, Bella bleeding in the background. It only made me that much more angry with myself for leaving her behind to suffer.

"Bella? Bella love, can you hear me?" I kept one hand over her stomach in hopes of slowing the bedding while I used the other to stroke her pale face.

"Edw… Edward? I love you." The words were strained but she forced them between her lips. My heart would be pounding if it were able.

"Bella, my Bella. I love you too. So much. Please, try to relax. I'm here with you and I'm not leaving. I'm right here and I love you."

"What did you do to her?" A scream came from behind me. I snatched my head around to see Jacob Black standing there, his body shaking ready to transform into the wolf.

"Don't transform Jacob. You could kill Bella!" My voice was fierce but I refused to move from Bella's side.

"I could kill her? Look what you've done to her you filthy leech! She's dying and you were sucking her blood! If Seth had stayed behind like he was told he could have killed you!"

Venom filled my mouth and I spat acid as I spoke to him, "I didn't touch her you mangy dog! If I had attacked her like you believe I desire to do, she would have been drained long before you entered this room! Another thing, had Seth stayed here as he was told, Victoria and the other vampire she brought with her would have killed him without question. My brother and sister are after them now. If you want to do something useful, get the other dogs to go do their jobs and destroy her!"

For a moment, Jacob hesitated and looked like a child who had been caught sneaking a cookie from the kitchen. Unfortunately, his silence didn't last long and I was beginning to lose my temper with him.

"The treaty is broken bloodsucker. You crossed onto our land. I should kill you now…"

"Stand back Jacob!" I heard Billy yell from the doorway, Carlisle at the back of his chair pushing him. "Dr. Cullen, can you save her?" My breath caught in my throat as Billy addressed Carlisle without insult.

Carlisle left Billy's chair in a flash and was on the floor at my side, Bella's body still bleeding, though she was still conscious. I was breathing deeply, not registering the burn in my throat from the blood on my hands and pooling around me in the floor. Bella's life was more important than her blood.

"The others have gone after Victoria. She will be punished for this Edward. I assure you she will be." He never looked at me as he spoke but I knew he believed in what he said. He continued to touch Bella's broken body to assess the damage.

"She has four broken ribs, a broken spine, and she has quite a lot of internal bleeding. She is much worse than when we found her in Phoenix. Edward… She's going to die. No medical treatment will help her now. I'm sorry son, there's nothing I can do except…" His voice trailed off but I knew what he was referring to.

My body began to shake uncontrollably. I had finally found Bella just to watch her die in my arms.

_No, I promised myself that I would change her when I found her. _

"Jacob?" My voice was only barely above a whisper but I knew he could hear me. His angry thoughts had turned into hysterics when Carlisle announced that Bella was going to die.

He didn't answer but I continued anyway. "In the clearing you said in your mind that you would kill Bella yourself before you let her become a vampire. Do you still mean that?"

"I… No. I would rather her live as a human but if death and vampirism are my only choices, I would rather see her become a bloodsucker. At least then I could still see her face… I love her…"

His words struck me but I didn't have time to dawdle. "If you mean that, as Ephraim Black's grandson and the true alpha of this pack, I need your word that biting Bella will not break the treaty, if you still consider the treaty in place."

There was silence but time was running out. "Jacob! I need your word or I can't save her. I don't want to fight you over this, I only want Bella to live!"

"Damn the treaty!" Jacob yelled, "Save Bella! I promise, just save her"

Unfortunately, that wasn't all the permission I needed. I turned my gaze to Bella, she was barely conscious but I had to ask.

"Bella love can you hear me?" I stroked her face gently with my bloody hand. Her blood was still not slowing and my clothes and body were covered in it as well.

Her eyes fluttered and she let out an acknowledging sound.

"I need you to make a choice for me Bella. This is your decision and only yours. Do you want to pass on into the next life as a mortal, or do you still want me to change you? Sweetheart you have to answer me."

"What the hell does that matter? Don't let her die leech! Put those fangs to good use for once." Jacob was coming closer to me. From his thoughts, he would have pushed my teeth into her skin himself if he had to.

"Jacob, I will NOT take Bella's life without her permission. She will not be damned to this existence without a choice!"

"Edward?" Bella's body shook then lay still in my arms as her eyes slowly opened.

"Please love, I won't touch you without your permission. What do you choose?"

A smile crossed her lips as she uttered one word, "Forever."


	11. Chapter 11

**A special thank to the few reviewers from the last chapter. This chapter has been written for awhile but since I had a very small amount of reviews, I've been holding out in hopes of gaining attention. Anyway, this chapter is filled with Edward/Jacob fluff. Hope you enjoy. (iole01, thank you so much for your words of encouragement.)**

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**11. Changes**

**Edward's POV**

"_Forever." _The word has never sounded so beautiful to my ears. Each syllable annunciated on Bella's beautiful lips made my dead heart soar. The memory would remain in my mind for the rest of eternity.

I swept a kiss on her head and leaned down to proceed with the transformation. I was thankful that I fed earlier in the day.

"I'm sorry Bella. I love you." I pressed my lips to her neck for a small kiss then sunk my teeth in. I continued to bite into each of the main veins down he arm, anything to reach her fading heart faster. I could only hope I wasn't too late and she hadn't lost too much blood to carry my venom to her heart.

"Son, are you sure?" Carlisle was still bent at Bella's side as I continued to bite. He was listening intently to her heart beating much too fast in her chest.

"I made this decision when I first realized she was alive, as long as it was what she wanted of course. It's the only way." My eyes never left Bella's peaceful face after the biting was complete. I hoped she would stay unconscious for the entire transformation and not be in any pain.

"Is she… Becoming one of you?" Jacob asked as he bent down on Bella's other side next to Carlisle taking her free hand into his. I was too focused on her to be jealous of him touching her. I only wanted this moment to be over more quickly.

"Yes." Carlisle spoke, "It will take three days but she will be a vampire when it's over. We can take her back to our house as soon as the venom heals her wounds. I can clean out all of the blood for you too if you would like."

"Forget the blood. We're not sensitive to it around here like you are. I can use a hose and flush it out if it bothers anyone. When she heals, just take her inside and lay her on my bed. I'm not worried about the mess."

I was impressed with Jacob. He was calm and thinking like a person rather than a dog. I could feel the love he held for Bella. It was not nearly as deep as the love I held for her, but he was sincere. These past few months with her without me here were the best months of his life.

"Thank you Jacob," Carlisle answered, "But I think we need to move her to our house before she wakes up. We will need to take her home and clean her up before she changes completely."

"Why? Why does she have to go to your house?" Jacob was angry but he didn't let go of her hand or turn his attention to Carlisle.

"She will be a newborn vampire Jacob. She will be bloodthirsty and out of control. If she is at our home, we can control her and make sure she is still Bella once the transformation is complete. Also think about once the pack realizes she has been bitten. How will they feel to having a newborn vampire on their territory?" Carlisle's words made sense but Jacob was still unconvinced.

"If she can't stay here, I'll be going with you. I refuse to let her out of my sight." I wanted Jacob nowhere near Bella, however, he did allow me to change her without argument or insult. The least I can do is allow him to wait out her transformation.

"Of course Jacob. As long as you respect my family and myself, you are welcome in our home." Carlisle is too good for his own good sometimes.

We only had to wait five hours for Bella's wounds to heal and her bones to reattach. The venom was working in over drive to mend her broken body. Billy had been inside for the duration but returned momentarily before Carlisle spoke. Apparently Charlie had called to check on Jacob.

"Edward, her bones are mended and her skin is intact. She can be taken to the house now. The transformation is in full effect. There is no turning back from here."

"I'll take her." Jacob stood to lift Bella but stopped as a growl escaped my lips.

"Bella is mine. You are welcome to wait out her transformation but you will not touch her." Jacob rolled his eyes but didn't argue with me, nor did he release Bella's lifeless hand.

I lifted her from the ground with one easy sweep of my arms. To feel her body pressed against mine was magnificent even in her unconscious state. Upon standing, I could smell the burning bodies coming from outside the small garage. I was assuming Victoria and her new male companion were destroyed. I wished I had been able to do it myself but Bella would not still be breathing if I had left her side.

"I'm happy to report that Victoria and the male have been taken care of." Alice materialized at my side. "I made sure she knew that Bella was going to live before her head was ripped from her neck." Alice bounced around the room happily. "I need you to leave Edward. I want to monitor Bella's transformation but I can't with Jacob so close."

"And what do I have to do with you looking at her?" Jacob folded his arms across his bare chest. He did not understand what Alice meant by monitoring.

"Alice, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but Jacob will be going to the house with us to look over her as well. He refuses to leave Bella's side." Alice's face was straight shock, which quickly turned to anger.

"Jacob Black, at least hold back a moment before you join us. I can't see Bella when you're there. I refuse to wait and see what happens like some human." She rolled her eyes and folded her arms.

"I still don't understand why you can't look at her with me there!" Jacob said louder, his body slowly starting to shake as if her were going to transform.

"I'm a psychic and you being a werewolf makes my vision go out! I can't see Bella's future if it's mixed in with yours. At least give us time to clean her up and get her comfortable. You wouldn't be in the room for that anyway." Alice huffed and rolled her eyes.

"Jacob, calm down and do as they say. Be thankful they are allowing you to come at all onto their land." Billy rolled closer to us.

"Fine. I'll hold back but as soon as she is cleaned up, I'm coming over. The head leech, I mean, Dr. Cullen, gave me permission. You will call me as soon as she is clean and settled." His voice was stern but I could tell that he was waiting for an answer.

"Fine Jacob. As soon as we have Bella clean and settled for the duration of the transformation, I will personally call you. Now if you will excuse me, we have to go before your pack storms in."

"Don't worry." Billy said, "Sam has informed them of the situation. They will not harm you as you leave but the treaty is still in tact. This was a special occasion." Billy turned his chair towards the garage door as we thanked him and made our way out as well.

"Jacob," Alice said just before I stepped into the cool night air with Bella in my arms, "I need you to decide not to come over. If you make the decision to come to the house, Bella's future will remain black. Decide to go into the kitchen and not come to our house." Jacob look confused but reluctantly agreed.

"I'll see everyone at the house. Bella needs to be settled. I can only imagine the internal battle she is going through right now. If she wakes up, I want her to at least be as comfortable as possible." I turned back into the night and began to run at a steady speed towards the house. I could hear the violent thoughts of the werewolves behind me as I ran but none made a move towards me as Billy had promised.

"Bella love, we're going home." I whispered in her ear as a smile spread across my lips. We really were going home.

"Bella will wake up in sixty five hours-twenty six minutes-fourteen seconds exactly. Until then, all we can do is wait. Oh and by the way, she will be in and out of consciousness. She will scream so don't be panicked or hate yourself as you have been prone to do. Oh, and when she wakes up, she will be so happy to see you! Jacob may throw off this vision but I can't be sure."

I was at the house now waiting for Esme and Rosalie to clean Bella and dress her before I went in to see her and wait out the next seventy hours. It was agonizing not having her in my arms but it was disrespectful for me to be the one to bathe her naked body.

"Edward," Esme called from upstairs, "Bella is changed and in the bed Rose placed in your room. You can come see her now."

Without question or comment, I raced upstairs only stopping at my door. Rosalie was sitting next to Bella on the bed stroking her face gently.

"When you wake up, we'll officially be sisters." It was unusual to see Rose think about anyone other than herself. Compassion actually suited her.

"Bella honey," I whispered as I walked through the door. "What did they do to you?"

Bella was still unconscious but she was dressed in a short blue sundress, her hair was washed and pulled back out of her face, and she had heels on her feet that laced up her ankles.

"Alice?" I asked

"None other. She had the clothes sitting out for us when I got here. I think it suits her."

Rose had a point but I knew if Bella were awake, she would have protested. I must admit, the blue on her ivory skin was incredible. That must be why Alice picked this outfit.

"Rose, may I have a moment alone with Bella? I have to call Jacob shortly and I won't have any time to myself with her."

I expected her to argue but the new Rosalie only nodded, stroked Bella's face motherly, and ran from the room in a blur.

I was only alone with Bella for three minutes when I heard a knock on the door. Jacob's annoyed thoughts greeted my mind. I groaned but decided that I needed to be the one to greet him rather than one of my family members. Quickly kissing Bella's warm forehead I raced downstairs.

"You didn't call me! You said you would call." Jacob's voice was childish as he pushed past me and walked into the house. I could tell he was having trouble breathing in our scent but this is the price he would have to pay in order to wait out the transformation.

"Bella just got situated. She had a lot of blood to clean off incase you didn't notice." I closed the door and turned to face him.

"Sure sure. Where is she? I'm afraid to take a deep breath."

"She's in my room, follow me." I didn't want him in my room but I promised he could see Bella and I refused to allow her to rest anywhere else. It was a small price to pay for peace between my family and his pack.

I turned to walk up the stairs and Jacob followed quickly behind me. We reached my room and Jacob paused to look around. "You have a bed in here. I thought bloodsuckers didn't sleep."

I chuckled under my breath lightly as he glared at me. "We don't sleep. The bed was moved in here for Bella. We keep a collection in the basement for appearances in case we ever show the house or have company."

He seemed satisfied with my response, though he cringed at the thought of vampires having company. Slowly, he made his way to sit next to Bella on the bed. I began walking behind him in preparation of three long days of silence.

"How did you do that?" His voice made me jump and I stopped walking. I hadn't expected him to speak to me.

"Do what exactly?" I asked as I sat at Bella's other side.

"You're a vampire. You drink blood… But you never hurt Bella. Your family really is different but… Wasn't it tempting?" He had a look of disgust on his face but there was also curiosity present in his eyes.

"Every single day it was tempting. My body wanted her blood but I loved her too much to even consider taking it." I wasn't sure if that was all there was to it but I didn't care to elaborate.

"But how? She is food for you. How did you not take her? You could kiss her and all but you never hurt her. How?" Jacob's questions leaned further towards curiosity than disgust. I was able to relax slightly as I answered.

"I really don't know. To make matters worse, her blood calls to me like a siren. Her smell is like none other." Thinking of the smell of Bella's blood made my mouth fill with venom but I pushed it aside. That was one thing about Bella's humanity that I would not miss.

"Human's don't all smell the same to you? That's strange. So what happens when you smell Bella?" It felt as if we have been friends for centuries. It was a different feeling to speak with someone other than my family and Bella so openly. His curiosity was truly amazing.

"Imagine walking through the desert for three days with no food or water. All of a sudden, a giant glad of ice water appears in front of you. You can feel the dryness in your throat as it burns and aches. Then while you're trying to reach the glass of water, a steak dinner appears next to you. Your mouth waters and your throat burns and all you want to do is devour the food and gulp down the water. That's what Bella's scent does to me. The only difference is, I continue to accept the burn to be in her presence."

"What about when she… Kisses you? You do kiss her right?"

"Of course I kiss her but it's never easy. It feels like saliva sloshing in your mouth as you smell food but you can't swallow. The more it sloshes, the harder you fight trying to swallow. With Bella, the deeper she lets her kiss go, the more her taste fills my mouth and the harder it is for me not to feed. I have to be on my guard at all times with her. One moment of lost control and she could be killed."

"And this went on for months and you never once hurt her? I'm impressed. Maybe all vampires aren't the same."

"Well for the record, we are all dangerous. I just loved Bella far too deeply to hurt her. Had she died at my hand, I would have never been able to live with myself."

I expected a flood of thoughts wishing I had killed myself, however, only more questions came from Jacob's mouth.

"Was it hard for you to bite her and not drink?" The look of disgust returned to his face but the curiosity didn't disappear.

"Had I been thirsty or she meant nothing to me, I would have never been able to bite without killing her. Tasting human blood starts an uncontrollable frenzy, almost like a shark smelling blood in the ocean. They lose all control over themselves and think of nothing but feeding. It's the same with a vampire."

"How did you not kill her before you loved her? You met her in school right? Was it hard then?"

Jacob's questions were beginning to annoy me but his curiosity was impressive. He was the first werewolf I could ever remember from history who even took interest in the lives of vampires without killing them.

"When I first met her, I wanted to kill her. I admit, it was not an easy task to hold myself off. It had been over two weeks since I had fed properly and she came walking into my class and sat next to me. In the first five minutes I shuffled around hundreds of ways to take her life. It sickens me to remember but it happened. I just had to keep telling myself that I was stronger than that. Had I met her in a dark alleyway, she would be long dead."

"_So you forced yourself to be around her as a challenge."_

His thoughts said what his words would not.

"No, actually, I went to Alaska for a while to be with another coven. Even being there, I couldn't get her out of my head. I decided to come back. I couldn't be away from her. One night I was in her bedroom and she said my name. It was then that I decided that I loved her and would not hurt her."

"_You were in her room as she slept? Creepy much?"_ Jacob's thoughts were back to hatred and jealousy.

"Yes well, I'm not proud of that but at least she was left alive. One night while she was awake, she asked me to stay with her. She slept in my arms every night since then. I protected her as best as her bad luck would allow and never hurt her myself."

"Just to let you know, you did hurt her." He trailed off. Before I could ask what he meant, he let the visions of Bella fill my mind. They raced one after the other as clear as if I were standing there. Watching the sad shell of my Bella was maddening. It crushed her when my family left her… When I left her.

"Jacob… Please…"

"What? It's not like you don't deserve it. If you don't like what you see, don't watch."

"I can't control that. I see whatever you think about. I can't turn it off or turn it down. It's maddening I assure you. The frustration of mind reading gets worse though. I can't hear Bella's thoughts. Not a single one. The closest I get is when she talks in her sleep."

"Oh my God! How did you _stand _that? When Bella was at my place, she talked constantly. Well, either she was talking or screaming from nightmares. I always assumed she was screaming about you but I couldn't be sure."

"I don't sleep so her talking never bothered me. I looked forward to it actually. You have no idea what it's like to be a mind reader yet unable to read the only mind that matters to you."

Before he could respond, Bella woke up suddenly and began to scream in agony.

"The fire! The fire Edward! I'm being scorched!" She threw her head back and let out another ear shattering scream.

"What the hell is wrong with her leech?" Jacob was on his feet and holding Bella's convulsing body down.

"It's the venom. It's a normal part of transformation. It's quite excruciating."

"This is _normal_? How can we help her? There has to be something we can do right?"

"I'm afraid not. The most I can do is hold her in my arms and let my body cool her in hopes that it works."

"Edward?" Bella said through clenched teeth, "I love you. Please hold me." I pulled Bella from the bed and into my arms keeping her close. She stopped convulsing and seemed to relax against my cool skin and go back to unconsciousness.

"This lasts for three days…" Jacob was staring at Bella in my arms as he spoke, never meeting my gaze. "Just warming you up for hell or what?"

"We don't know. The venom burns like mad- it even burns vampires if they are bitten. No pain in the universe compares to the burn of transformation. It feels as if someone lit a fire in your veins and let it spread. It's even hotter when your heart stops."

"Good job not telling her about the pain she will experience. I forgot that her heart will stop. I'll miss the sound."

I sighed deeply, "I have been trying to talk Bella out of transformation since we met. You have no idea how difficult it was. The sound of her heart is the most comforting sound in the world for me. It's racing with my touch and the blush on her cheeks will be missed for all eternity. I love Bella, so I will deal with it. At least now she can be mine forever."

Jacob began to grind his teeth but said nothing. He knew he wouldn't be able to be with her now that she is to be a vampire but he still had hope.

"_I will always love her. Vampire or human." _His thoughts whispered.

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**Thank you all for reading. Most likely the next chapter will be a glimpse into Victoria's last moments before she was killed. Sorry for all the fluff of this chapter but I just couldn't help myself. Until the next chapter.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Just a heads up to all of my readers, this chapter is filled with adult situations and whatnots, where the M rating comes into play. Please be advised of this before you continue. Thanks.**

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**12. Victoria's Final Moments**

**Victoria's POV**

After that mangy russet wolf chased me from the human in the lake, I ran to Seattle. I needed time to think about my next move. Surely the wolf would take her back to his pack. There was no way I could sneak in undetected and take her. I pouted for a few more hours in the woods outside of Seattle before I made my way into the city limits to hunt. It had been long enough since my last meal.

Just as quietly as my body would allow, I fed quickly and discarded the two bodies. Having my fill, I decided to make my way back to the serenity of the woods, hoping that I could come up with a plan.

Before I reached the end of the alleyway to the street beyond, I could hear the panicked breathing of a human. The heartbeat was euphoric even to my filled senses.

"Va… Va…. Vampire…" He breathed from the side of the building.

Taking in his appearance, he seemed frightened yet overcome with my presence. It was the same reaction I received from every human but the look in his pale blue eyes quickly turned into fascination.

I made my closer to him but not too quickly. If he decided to run, I would be forced to take his life. Something about him made me not want to kill him. Maybe it was the way his eyes took me in, like James' did before… Or maybe it was the build of his body that called to me, his blonde hair flat against his forehead. Either way, there was something in his features that made me stare at him with the same fascination that he presented to me. I could see my face reflected in his eyes. I looked… happy?

"You're a… vampire, aren't you?"

I smiled at him. He no longer showed any trace of fear, only admiration. The look in his eyes made me quiver, something that only the touch of James could do to me before this very moment. Of course I could never actually love this human, but I could use him to help me with the wolves.

"Are you going to kill me?" He stood tall as he asked. So innocent his voice sounded.

"I've had my fill for the evening. You caught me at a good time." I took another step towards him. Surprisingly he took a step in my direction in return. There was no doubt in my mind that he would be perfect to assist me. He showed no fear of death or danger.

"Are you going to bite me then?"

"You know much for a human." I smiled. "Is this why you show no fear towards me? You wish to be damned for eternity?"

"It is means I get to be with you, absolutely."

"Humans can be so strange. Very well. If you are offering your life, I shall have to take it." (Any FFX fans out there?)

He showed no fear, only took another step towards me. I prepared to will myself to be strong enough to bite and not drink. I took a deep breath of his scent, feeling it on my tongue. Whether I was too full for it to affect me or if his scent wasn't strong enough to catch my senses, his blood didn't smell sweet at all. This would be simple.

In a swift motion, I threw his weak body over my shoulder and ran towards the woods away from civilization. I needed to be sure no one would hear his screams as he changed.

Satisfied with the location, I dropped him on the ground when I reached our destination. He was breathless but he forced himself to stand as I surveyed the land around me.

"Why did you bring me here? I thought you were going to change me."

I looked around a moment longer before I turned to answer him.

"I am going to change you. I had to be sure no one would hear your screams."

"Screams?" He seemed hesitant now. "Does the bite hurt that badly?"

He had no idea. The pain of transformation is the first memory of the new life of a vampire. I thought briefly back to the moment of my transformation and let a shiver run through my body. Even in memory alone, the pain of transformation was a permanent burn on the mind.

"You have no idea of the pain I am about to inflict on you, but you soon will." I appeared at his side as he took in a deep breath clearly regretting his decision. I allowed myself one more deep breath of him again to be sure his scent didn't affect my thirst.

"Shall we begin? This will not be pleasant. I can assure you that much. For being my first transformation, I will allow you to choose where I bite." It was the least I could do for this human. When it came down to it, he would fight for me as I escaped, my mission accomplished.

"I…" He stuttered momentarily and examined his body. "Where will it hurt the least?"

Without meaning to, I allowed a laugh to escape my lips. This was taking far too long and I was growing impatient. James needed to be avenged. I was already going to lose three days on this human. I couldn't spare any more time that that.

"It's not the bite that hurts. It's the venom that burns your body inside and out for three full days. Either way, you have five seconds to decide. I am growing impatient."

"Oh…" He said.

I was almost to zero when he made his decision.

"I want to be bitten here." He pointed to the spot directly above his heart. I was surprised he chose that spot. I guess his transformation would pass faster if the venom were so close to his heart from the beginning.

"Very well." He began to unbutton his shirt at his slow human pace. I could take no more. I pushed him as gently as I could manage to his back on the ground and ripped his shirt from his body. Before he could gasp, I had already sunk in my teeth. I pulled them out after a moment and jumped back away from him. I didn't want to risk killing him even though his scent did nothing for me. That was until I tasted his blood on my tongue.

I licked it slowly from my still exposed teeth and let it sit on my tongue. It was the most incredible blood I had ever tasted in my entire immortal existence. I licked it slowly from my bottom teeth, enjoying the euphoric taste one last time. I had to get away from him, as far as I could. Just a small taste from his body and my efforts at restraint would be wasted. The smell of the running blood from his bite mark screamed for me to taste just once more. Before I could think about it, I ran in the opposite direction. This would not be a wasted attempt. I needed backup and I couldn't afford to waste more time.

I was barely away from him when he began to scream, the bite itself only happening mere seconds before. My venom was working quickly. I was further away and could still hear him screaming of fire. Luckily, no human would be able to hear him as clearly as I. At least during this transformation I could find new clothes for him and myself. It had been far too long since I had clean clothes.

The three days passed quickly, for me at least. I could only imagine how the human felt during them. Surely he was still in agony. According to my timing, he had another six hours until the transformation would be complete.

I arrived to the forest with fresh clothes for him and for myself. Stealing them undetected from an outlet had proven to be effortless. I left no trace that I had even been inside.

"You came back." His voice reached me right as he came into sight. Seeing him already through his transformation was shocking. Taking in his appearance as I approached, I noticed that the little bit of sunlight that filtered through the tree line made his skin sparkle. His bare chest was incredible, almost as much so as James'. I had to have him dress quickly or I would be tempted to ravage him.

"Of course." I said as I tossed the clothes to him. "Change and we will be on our way. As soon as the sun goes over the horizon, I will take you to hunt. It should only be another two hours or so."

He stripped off the little bit of clothing he wore and put on the clothes I brought for him. I had to turn my eyes from his naked body. It was too close to that of James' and my restraint was weakening. My desire to avenge him was suddenly overcome with my desire to touch this newborn in a lustful manner.

"So… You changed me and didn't kill me. You never even told me your name. I'm Riley."

"_Riley…" _I said inside my mind. The name rolled around in my thoughts causing all of my senses to fill with lust.

"Victoria." I managed to answer through my fantasies of him.

"Victoria… I like it. It suits you." He smiled. He was now completely dressed but the image of his naked body never left my mind.

"Does this burning in my throat ever go away? I thought after my skin stopped burning I would feel normal again." I smiled at his question remembering the overpowering need for blood as a newborn.

"Never, though feeding regularly makes it less noticeable."

"And when I hunt… Will I know what to do?"

"Yes. Once you smell blood, your senses will take control, which is why I can't take you to hunt at this moment. We can't risk exposure of our kind to the humans." I didn't feel like explaining the rules to him because, if all goes as planned, he won't live long enough through the wolf pack for them to be any concern to him.

"So what do we do until then? My throat is on fire." I thought about his question for a moment. Maybe one human could satisfy him enough for the time being. I was anxious to go back to Forks to fulfill my mission.

"I'll go to the town now and grab a human for you. Feed once and we will run until dark so you can feed properly." Before I could hear his answer, I was off with a flash towards the town. I made sure the spot for his transformation was a great distance away from human ears.

To my surprise, I could smell humans in the woods. There were four of them from what I could tell. They were calling out names, perhaps the names of my victims from the night I fed. It didn't matter, I ran back to get Riley. His first hunt would go quite smoothly.

"Riley?" I called into the woods without answer. I inhaled the air deeply but could smell nothing of him, only the humans in the distance. Before I could worry too much that he went off on him own, I could hear the screams of the panicked humans behind me. I ran in the direction of the sound and just as I suspected, there stood Riley drinking deeply from his second human, the third and forth attempting to run.

Riley finished quickly and ran for the other two. I watched in amazement at how quickly he finished them off without a spot of blood on him. He was fascinating to me. It was difficult enough for practiced vampires to keep themselves clean. I had never heard of a clean newborn.

After dropping the last body, he walked at human pace casually over to me, licking his lips as he did so to clean off the remaining blood. The gesture made my body lurch in indescribable ways.

"I'm sorry. I smelt something and couldn't hold off." He said as he made it to my side.

"Don't apologize. I was on my way to direct you to them. Now that you've fed, it's time to go." I turned away from his crimson eyes. His stare was too much to bear.

"I never got the chance to ask you before. Why did you change me? What do you need me for?" I could see that he was genuinely curious but I could also see that he was content no matter what my answer may be.

"I am on a mission to avenge my mate. There is a human in Forks in which I need to take care of but she is guarded. I need the help of a strong man like yourself." I turned to face him again and stroked his cheek in an attempt at flirtatious however I felt chills run through my own body. Quickly, I turned back the opposite way in an attempt to clear my thoughts.

"I can manage that for you, but why a human? I've only been a vampire for a few minutes but I can feel my strength. How could a human possibly have killed your mate?"

I wasn't in the mood to explain things to him but I decided to give him the brief version anyway.

"Her love is a vampire. How this can be, I am still unsure. My mate and I ran into them months ago and there was a hunt for her. My mate saw it as a challenge to get past the other vampire and his coven that stood to defend her. He was killed in the process. I vowed to kill the human girl to make her lover suffer as I have suffered."

Remembering James filled my body with emotion and made me wish for tears. Before I could suffer much longer, I felt the arms of Riley embrace me from behind. In one swift motion, he snatched my all too willing body around to face him and crushed me into him.

His chest was so soothing. James never touched me in this way. He was a tracker first and foremost. He cared not for my emotions, though I had none to show outside of my love for him. I was always confident in his actions. I never realized how much emotion a vampire body could actually withhold.

As my body began to convulse with sobs, Riley gripped me more tightly against his chest stroking my hair, his newborn strength much stronger than I anticipated. I looked up from his chest into his eyes and before I could ask to be released, he crushed his lips into mine. This was nothing like the kisses I received from James in the past. This kiss was desperate, hungry. I couldn't help but return it, my mission of revenge forgotten for the moment.

Before I could catch my unneeded breath, he ran his hand up under the back of my shirt and moved it along my skin. Uncontrollable shivers overtook my body as that same hand came around my side, to my stomach, and up to my breasts. A quiet moan slipped from between my lips into his mouth. This involuntary admittance of pleasure made him pull my body closer to his own and take more of me into his mouth, all of my senses lost in his touch.

As swiftly as he moved his hand along my skin, he had my shirt over my head followed by his own. He was panting with lust just as badly as I was. I needed this touch, James momentarily forgotten in my mind and replaced with this blonde haired vampire Riley.

Running his hands along my naked upper body, he allowed one to run to the button of my pants. Not wanting his new found strength to destroy my newly acquired clothes, I undid the button for him and proceeded to undo his own. He would be too tempted to rip them off it we waited any longer to be inside of the other.

As soon as our jeans hit the forest floor, he snatched me in his arms and ran to the bed of moss where he spent his transformation, not that comfort was on my mind at this moment, it was a kind gesture nonetheless.

Leaning away from my body to take in every bit of me he allowed his hands to wander along each and every crevice. He then leaned back in and traced his tongue on my exposed skin allowing another moan to escape my lips, this one hungrier than the first. Without being able to wait any longer, I pulled his face to mine to probe the inside of his mouth with my tongue. In that same instance, he parted my willing legs with his right knee and plunged himself deeply inside of me. We both moaned in unison as pleasure filled our every sense.

Our lust continued for hours, my original mission completely forgotten. No touch James ever gave me even came close to this. During my moment of intense arousal, I almost decided to give up on the human girl and spend the rest of my eternity with Riley… Almost…

After we stopped, both unable to continue for a moment longer, I breathed in fresh air and cleared my mind. James was still my mate and he still needed to be avenged. I must stick to the original plan of using Riley as a shield to complete my mission. We both stood without a word to gather our clothes. He seemed to know as well as I that our moments in that manner meant nothing.

"Well that was fun." Riley smirked as he found his shirt. "I never imagined that sex could be better than before my transformation but wow."

Without letting my mind linger on his touch a moment longer I replied, "Of course. Now we must complete our mission." Riley's face dropped for a moment but he agreed nonetheless. The hint of a smile still played gracefully on his lips.

We dressed quickly and made our way into the town for Riley to hunt one last time before we went to Forks. I needed him to be well fed before we got near the human girl. She would suffer, not be drained.

Riley fed quickly, satisfying his thirst on two humans, before we turned to run to Forks. He was impressed with his own speed but didn't speak the entire run there.

Once we came into the town, I easily found the treaty line from before and ran along it, Riley directly behind me. I ran straight for the ocean. It would be the perfect spot to wait for the girl to be left alone. Our scents wouldn't be clear to either side, vampires or wolves. A bonus to this plan, I would be so close to the wolves, the pixie vampire would have no idea I was even here.

We seemed to be in luck. From what I could hear coming from the top of the cliff, the wolves were headed to meet with the vampires to discuss something unknown to them. All of the wolves would be close by the meeting but only a few of them would show themselves. Well, all of the wolves apart from one. One wolf meant nothing to me. Riley could handle him as I grabbed the human and completed my mission.

During my plotting, I didn't notice the sounds of the last remaining wolf leaving. I didn't ask questions as the why the selected guard abandoned the human, only set my plans into motion.

"Riley lets move. All of the wolves are gone and the girl is unprotected!" I began to scale the wall as quickly as I spoke but Riley snatched me back into the icy waters before I had a chance to get out of reach. In one swift motion, he crushed his lips to mine one last time and allowed me to scale the cliff side, him directly behind me. Yet again, I thought about backing out of this quest and just as before, I pushed myself on.

As soon as we had our feet planted on flat land, I took a deep breath and heaved deep in my chest as I did so. The smell of the wolves was very strong here but I needed my nose to find the girl. Trying to sift through the two smells, I located her scent and ran towards her.

At the exact moment I saw her, she spotted me and began to run, screaming as she went. A smile spread across my face at her terror. I chased her into a small building that was a poor excuse for a garage. The human girl was huddled up against a wall. My mission was all too easy.

"Riley, stand by the door in case of intruders. I have planned this session well. I will not let my opportunity go to waste." He nodded but never took his eyes from the human. I could hear a low growl in deep within his chest.

"Hold your breath my love. This will be over quickly." He did as I asked and stepped outside though the bloodlust was still evident in his eyes.

"Now my dear girl," I said as I turned to the shivering form in front of me, "you will pay for the actions of your mate."

"Fine." The human spoke to me as she stepped away from the wall. "Do your worst. I'm sick of living in fear of you and even sicker of living without Edward. Kill me Victoria."

I laughed slightly as I took in her words. She had no idea that her love was only moments away from her. Of course I would take it upon myself to share the news.

"Dear girl. Your mate returned for you but you were too busy playing with dogs to notice. At this very moment he is in a meeting with those whom have protected you as of late." The look of anguish in her eyes fueled my taunting. "He returned days ago to protect you from me. By him not being here, I take it he was unsuccessful in his attempts to locate you. Now here we are, all alone."

"Edward… came back…?" She began to shiver again and allowed her head to drop to stare at her feet. I could smell the salt in the air as she released her tears. As much as I was enjoying myself, the final wolf being away would allow the fortuneteller to see my actions. I needed to hurry. I had only moments to complete my task.

"I won't take any more of your time. I can promise I will work quickly, though you will be left in pain beyond your wildest imagination on my departure."

In a flash I was at her side. I grabbed her throat and slammed her into the wall. I heard the snap of her spine as I did so, her screams filling my ears. My next move was to throw her across the room. Out of luck, she broke her ribs and gashed her stomach open as she landed in a large toolbox. I listened closely to be sure she was still alive. Though her screams stopped, she was attempting to gasp for air. The thudding of her heart was quick and uneven. I flashed across the room and snatched her from the toolbox by her leg. Just as I was about to make my final breaks of her bones, Riley rushed into the building to stand at my side.

"Someone is coming. We need to leave!" As soon as he inhaled I could see the look of bloodlust in his crimson eyes but he kept himself restrained. I dropped the almost lifeless body to the floor as the black haired vampire burst through the door, eyes ablaze. She took in the crumpled body of the human and crouched while releasing a vicious snarl.

As I stepped back, Riley standing in front of me snarling back at the black haired vampire, I allowed myself to smile again. The only thing that could make this moment more perfect would be to see Edward's face filled with agony.

The female, Alice I think she was called, flashed over to the human's side trying to get her to wake while holding her hand to her bleeding belly.

"Bella… Bella can you hear me? It's Alice, Bella. Edward is coming to get you." Alice took a breath and I could hear her growl slightly, her eyes turning black. The weak animal drinker was fighting the urge to drink from the human Bella. Did she say Edward was coming? I need to hold my ground until I can see his face for myself. Riley backed into me trying to take my arm to pull me from the building but I held my ground solid.

"If you want to live Victoria, I suggest you run now." Alice spoke to me. I could hear the anger welling up inside of her chest.

"Alice…?" Bella spoke from the floor, Alice still hunched over her.

"Yes Bella, it's me. Edward is coming to get you. Hold on a little longer okay?"

"You came back. You both came back."

"Shh Bella. Yes, the entire family came back for you. Rest now until Edward arrives. I can't breath in your blood anymore. I'm sorry." A look of shame spread across her face as I heard her stop breathing. How weak the animal drinkers were. I knew I needed to make my escape while I had the chance. She said their entire coven was here.

As soon as I grabbed Riley and pulled him to my side, Edward burst through the door, his eyes panicked as he saw the scene that was presented before him. The male, Jasper, at his side cringed as he got the blow of the running blood.

"Edward! Edward!" Bella was screaming from the floor, her body jolting in pain.

"Edward, she's losing a lot of blood. I can't get it to stop!" Alice still had her hands pressed into Bella's open stomach. She took in another breath as she spoke to him and I could see her clinch her fist to restrain herself.

"My dear Edward," I practically laughed to him, "you will suffer as I have suffered. You will watch your mate die and spend eternity without her as I have to do without James." I felt Riley flinch beside me but took little notice. I ran from the room in a flash, Riley trailing behind me.

I laughed once I was outside. I had completed my mission and I was heading to freedom. At least, that's what I thought. When I reached the ocean cliffs, there were wolves standing in front of them, all snarling and blocking my exit. Riley ran in front of my and pushed me behind him. The wolves were holding their ground.

"Victoria!" I heard my name called from behind me. I turned to see Alice and Jasper both in hunting crouches, teeth clenched.

"You've wasted your efforts you know." She allowed herself to smile at me. "Bella will be bitten and saved. You didn't kill her, you gave her eternal life with Edward."

I crouched low and growled at her tiny form. Jasper quickly placed himself in front of her, Riley torn between protecting me from them and the wolves.

All at once, everything seemed to work in slow motion. Riley turned me around to face him for what I knew to be the last time and crushed him lips to mine once more. He then grabbed my body and attempted to hurl me to safety. As I was in the air flying towards the woods, I watched Riley attack the wolf pack. He was torn to shreds before I landed. Looking back on the past few days, I wish I had chosen to stay with him rather than seek revenge.

I landed on the ground without a single stumble and began to run as fast as my legs would carry me. The further I got from this awful place, the better. I hadn't gotten a full mile when there were more wolves in front of me blocking my path.

As soon as I slowed, I felt a body on my back, the body of Jasper. He caught up to me and was now holding me in place. Turning my head, I watched as Alice skipped happily in front of me. She smiled an evil smile as I felt her rip my head from my neck. I was enclosed in total darkness and didn't think the pain could be any worse… Until my body was tossed into the fire, ending my life.

"_Riley, I will be with you soon."_

* * *

**Well that's it for Victoria. I figured it was only fair to give her a romantic ending. Notice how it's Riley that she wants to meet in the next life, not James. Let me know what you thought about it. I made sure to change the rating to M just for the content of this chapter.**


	13. Chapter 13

**13. Waking Up**

**Edward's POV**

The next two days passed with silence. Jacob went downstairs here and there to gorge himself in our now empty refrigerator. Esme made a point to go to the grocery store, unsure of how long Jacob would stick around after Bella woke up. She truly is a mother, even if the current son is a dog.

Counting down the final minutes from Alice's original prediction, my entire family gathered in my room and I placed Bella onto the bed for the first time since she floated back to unconsciousness. Jacob was uncomfortable with my family being so close but his only thoughts were on Bella waking up. Luckily, she was only conscious for a short time that first day. Hopefully she had a peaceful transformation. One could only hope.

"Oh this is driving me insane! I hate not being able to see!" Alice shot a glare at Jacob but he ignored her completely, thoughts still solely on Bella. Here and there a thought would pass through his mind of his hopes that Bella could love him even as a vampire. As perturbed as that thought made me, I knew it was unlikely.

"Alice if your vision a few days ago was correct, we have three minutes and twenty seconds." I never took my eyes off of my beautiful Bella.

"Of course it was correct. I just want to see the full effect now!" She crossed her arms and stuck out her bottom lip. Such a child when she chose to be.

"At least now we can all see Bella wake up at the same time rather than Alice having a vision and Edward seeing the vision as she sees it. Such an annoying gift if you ask me." Emmett stood in the back of the room with an anxious Rosalie. They were both ready to welcome their new sister to the family.

"According to Alice's vision, we have twenty seconds." I announced quietly sucking in a breath in anticipation. Everyone's thoughts began to count down, everyone's except Jacob's.

"_I can't believe I wanted her to be a vampire over let her die. Am I really that selfish? Apparently I am because here we sit. Smooth move Jacob… Will she ever know I agreed to this out of love? Stop listening bloodsucker. If I wanted you to hear it would have been out loud."_

I grunted but didn't say anything. He knows I can't turn off my gift. I don't know why he bothers hoping.

"_Three… Two… One…" _Everyone in the room counted down in their minds.

I leaned over Bella's still body silently pleading for her to open her eyes. Just as everyone stopped counting, her lids snatched open quickly making me jump back. In one swift motion she jumped across the room, teeth bared, nostrils flaring. As quickly as it happened, she was calm and began to smile.

"Edward?" Her voice was incredible. The sound of my name on her lips made my body shake. It was smooth and flowed so beautifully out of her perfect mouth.

"Yes love, it's me."

She flashed to my side and embraced me in a bone-crushing hug. Even on my vampire body her strength was too much for me.

"Bella love, I know you're accustomed to being weak but at this moment, your strength is at its max. I need you to be gentle with me for a little while until you're used to it." I chuckled but Bella dropped her arms and looked ashamed. The look on her face tore at my heart.

"It's okay love." I said raising her chin to my face and placing a kiss on her lips. Her scent was just as wonderful as always but my throat didn't burn as I inhaled. It was a pleasant change. The one thing that wasn't different, however, her mind was still blank to me. I'm sure it will be much more frustrating now than ever before.

"Edward… What's that horrible smell?" I couldn't help but smile at her. She hadn't noticed the rest of the family in the room, nor had she noticed Jacob. I nodded into his direction. She turned her head, staring him straight in the face.

"Jake? You smell awful." She wrinkled her nose but didn't drop her hands from mine.

Everyone in the room laughed, even Jacob. It was the first time I had ever seen him smile. He was always such an angry and resentful person around me, not that I couldn't say the same for myself in his presence. Even his thoughts were pleasant.

"You don't smell so great yourself Bells."

"Oh I can't take it anymore! Bella, look at this!" Alice bounced next to my side, a mirror in her hand. Jasper wasn't far behind, his thoughts nervous that Bella would attack as a typical newborn would.

Bella remained calm and gazed at herself in the mirror, shock evident on her pale face. She looked herself up and down, a smile evident on her lips up until her gaze stopped at her eyes.

"How long?" She whispered.

I could only assume she meant the vibrant red of her eyes marking the human blood in her body. "Only a few months. The more you feed on animal blood, the faster they will fade into the topaz." She sighed but didn't say anything more. Slowly, she handed the mirror back to Alice and allowed her head to drop again.

"Edward, Bella's throat must be on fire. You should take her hunting. We can all catch up later." Carlisle said, he and Esme still in each other's embraces, thrilled to see their new daughter as one of us.

"Carlisle, Esme!" Bella ran to them and pulled them both in one gentle hug. "Thank you for allowing me to join your family. It's amazing to finally be a part of your lives in the full meaning of the words."

"Of course dear." Esme said as she stoked Bella's hair. Both she and Carlisle couldn't contain the broad smiles on their faces. Their thoughts were euphoric.

"Everyone, once I hunt, I really would love to catch up with you all. My memory is fuzzy for the most part. Transformation really does make a difference in everything." Bella spoke as she reappeared at my side taking my hand gently in hers.

"Of course Bella." Rosalie approached her slowly to hug her but Bella jumped back and growled. Apparently she can remember how unpleasant Rose was to her before she was changed.

"I'm sorry Rose… I'm not sure what came over me…" Bella whispered, loosening her stance and gently hugging an ashamed Rosalie.

"It's to be expected Bella. I wasn't exactly pleasant to you when you were a human. I apologize for that. I truly am sorry."

"It's okay Rose. We'll catch up later. I really need to hunt. My throat is killing me." At her words, I saw Jacob wince. He was having difficulty coping with the idea that Bella was to survive on blood now.

"Shall we love?" I held out my hand for her to take. Without looking, she placed hers in mine and we dove out of my bedroom window and ran into the forest.

Behind us Emmett yelled, "Make sure you hunt and come back, nothing more. She might break you the first time Edward!" Even in a special moment such as this, he finds a way to make a sexual joke. Luckily I could hear the sound of Rosalie and Esme's hands smacking him on the back of the head.

We didn't make it far from the house before I could smell a herd of deer up ahead. I'm sure the smell wouldn't do anything for Bella's appetite but it was a start in the right direction.

"I can smell them." She whispered and picked up her speed. I was impressed that she was already in full hunting mode over a few deer. She was proving to be unusual as a human and as a vampire. Even experienced as I am, deer still do not smell very good to me.

I ran at a safe distance behind her to give her the space she needed. She attacked the first deer with no difficulty and drained it easily, not a speck of blood on her clothes. She quickly moved on to a second and then a third when the wind brought along a new scent making her drop the partly drained third deer onto the ground, still, not a speck of blood on her anywhere other than her lips.

"What's that smell…? It's wonderful…" Bella ran in a flash towards the smell. I knew automatically that she smelled human blood.

"Bella! Stop Bella! It's human!" I was directly behind her but her newborn speed was faster than that of my own, though it was only slightly.

She slowed to allow me to catch up but didn't stop completely. I continued to smell the air around me. We were less than a mile from the wounded human and the blood seemed to register in my memory, though I wasn't sure as to why.

"Bella, please hold your breath and listen to me." I was thoroughly shocked when she did as I asked. Yet again, she proved herself to be a very unusual newborn vampire.

"It's a human love. You want to keep a clean slate correct? We need to get away from here. I don't want you to regret this later. Please love, lets go."

Before I could get her to follow me, I realized why the smell of the blood was so familiar. Taking in another deep breath, I realized it was Charlie's blood that I smelled.

"Bella, can you run back to the house for me and get Carlisle?"

She nodded but didn't move towards the house. Her face was twisted with concern.

"I know that smell." She took a breath through her mouth and continued to speak. "I can't place it, but I know I recognize it."

"Yes, I'm sure you can place it. Please Bella, go get Carlisle." I was desperate at this point. If Bella made it to Charlie, she would either kill him or frighten him. Ether way, it wasn't going to be good.

Bella took one long smell of the air again, but through her nose this time. She instantly stopped breathing again as before and her face twisted with pain and worry. She looked at me in the eyes and whispered, barely audible even to my superb hearing, "It's Charlie's blood… Isn't it?"

I could only nod. I didn't know what to think of her being able to remember Charlie's scent so clearly from her human life. It wasn't like she could smell it as well as I could while she was human.

"I have to go to him Edward. It's my dad. I won't hurt him. I know I can do this." I wanted to argue but she was already gone. I could only hope Alice would see this and send Carlisle to aide us.

I ran in Bella's wake until the scent was so potent I had to hold my breath as well. Even as a practiced vegetarian, open human blood was torture to deny.

"Oh my God! Charlie!" Bella was at his side looking over his weakened state. I could hear the soft beating of his heart. He seemed to be all right, just weak from what looked to be dehydration. The open flowing blood was coming from his hands and knees, apparently falling numerous times on his journey.

"Bel… Bella?" Bella stroked Charlie's cheek extremely gently still not breathing. His eyelids fluttered but he didn't open them to take in the sight of his daughter.

"I'm here dad. You're going to be fine." She looked at me for a confirmation. I nodded and walked at human pace to her side, one less explanation if Charlie happened to open his eyes.

"Let me carry him Bella. We need to get him to Carlisle before he wakes up all the way. I would hate to have to explain this to him." My voice was far too low for Charlie to hear, if he was conscious that is.

I stooped down to pick Charlie up but Bella already had his body cradled in her arms.

Just as quietly as I, she whispered, "He's my dad. I'll carry him."

"Bella, I don't want you to push yourself. You could lose control and kill him." I didn't want to be blunt but I had no choice. She had to see the danger here. The memory of her killing her father in an act of bloodlust is one I hoped for her to spend eternity without.

"You were in closer proximity to me than this and you controlled yourself for love. I love my dad Edward. I won't hurt him. Lets go." Before I could protest further, she was running back towards the house. She held Charlie even more gently than I could have imagined a newborn to hold a human, or anything for that matter. I was impressed that she could be around him, much less be so gentle with him. When will Bella cease to amaze me?

We reached the house in record time. Alice met us at the door, a look of concern on her face. Jasper was directly behind her sitting on the love seat, his face buried in his hands. Judging from his thoughts, Alice shared her vision of Bella holding Charlie with him. He was ashamed that he has less control over his actions than newborn Bella.

"I saw what happened. Carlisle is waiting upstairs. He has everything Charlie needs in there." Bella nodded and went upstairs at vampire speed without a word. I stayed and glared at Alice.

"How could you not send Carlisle when you saw that Charlie was hurt?" I had more acid in my voice than I intended. She knew as well as I did how upset Bella would have been if she harmed her father.

"She wasn't going to hurt him Edward. I could see that. Have some faith in her. She's done amazingly well thus far has she not? Besides, by the time Jacob walked outside and I caught the vision, it would have been too late to act even if she had intended on hurting Charlie."

I glared a moment longer before I sighed and dropped the subject entirely. Without speaking a word of apology, I walked at human pace to the room Carlisle prepared for Charlie.

"_I know you're sorry Edward. You don't have to say it aloud." _Alice's thoughts were smug but I knew she had already forgiven me.

When I entered the room, I saw Bella sitting on the side of Charlie's bed holding his hand. Carlisle was just finishing setting up the IV bags and making sure Charlie was comfortable for the time being.

"What's wrong with him?" Bella whispered. I listened closely to see that she was breathing. I could still smell Charlie's blood and it made my mouth pool with venom. I had no idea how Bella was controlling herself.

"He is just weak." Carlisle replied. "I'm not sure how long he has been out there. He's dehydrated with a few cuts and scrapes. I have the IVs in now to give him his strength back. He will be awake soon enough."

"Thank you Carlisle." Bella breathed.

"_Son, how is she handling the blood? Did she not try to kill him in the woods?" _

I shook my head just enough that only he noticed. He pulled his face into a look of deep concentration. I tried to block his thoughts and focus on Bella as he went into a history of every newborn he had ever encountered. He was just as baffled with Bella's actions as I was.

"Bella, are you alright?" I asked as I sat next to her wrapping my arms across her shoulders.

"I'm fine. Just worried for my dad."

"You didn't hunt as much as you should have. Surely this is difficult for you. I'm sure Esme would be happy to keep Charlie company for a few moments to allow you to hunt further."

"It's very difficult. I will admit that." She turned her crimson eyes to my topaz ones with a look of pure anguish. "He was in the woods looking for me. I've been horrible to him these past few months. I refuse to hurt him any further than I have already. A lot of my human memories are blurry and hard to remember, unfortunately, these past few months are crystal clear in my mind. I hate it. I will hunt once he is awake." Her eyes dropped back to her hands, which still held one of Charlie's. I wanted to know what life had been like for her while I was away, but the look in her eyes told me that I could only hope that I never found out.

"Great… As if things could possibly be worse." I said through clenched teeth.

"What's wrong Edward?"

"The wolves are here. From their thoughts, they aren't here merely for a social visit. Jacob is heading outside to intercept them."

Bella gasped then quickly held her breath again. I could only imagine the burn in her throat sitting this close to Charlie and being a newborn.

"You stay here with Charlie. I'm going to go outside with Jacob and try to settle all of this down. Carlisle is already out there." I didn't want to leave her alone with Charlie but I knew there was no way she would leave his side.

"What do they want?" Bella squeaked.

"Us to leave."

* * *

**Thank you to everyone who has subscribed to my story and who have left comments. Bella's actions are a little like Breaking Dawn but not quite. She is controlled but some things are different than the book (which is why it's MY fanfic). She will discuss her transformation later on and you will hear her side of the story. All of this will still be in Edward's view but she will tell her tale. Until next time...**


	14. Chapter 14

**14. Agree to Disagree**

**Edward's POV**

"_Us to leave."_

Bella's mouth fell agape but she said nothing. I kissed her forehead and ran downstairs before she had a chance to gather her thoughts and speak.

The thoughts of the pack became louder in my head as I neared them. Jacob was glaring at the alpha, his body trembling in preparation of phasing into the wolf. Carlisle stood in front of Billy Black's wheelchair trying to calm him down. Unfortunately, Alice and Jasper left to hunt after I went upstairs. I assumed she would be back once she saw our futures go black.

"Jacob you had no right to allow them to bite her and you know it! You are not the alpha of this pack until you declare yourself as such, which you have not. You promised these leeches an intact treaty and it was not yours to give." Sam Uley, the leader of the pack was directly in Jacob's face, the look of pure fury in his eyes. The other transformed wolves where close behind him, their thoughts mostly screaming obscenities at Jacob and my family. Two of them, however, were showing thoughts of concern for Jacob. I could only assume they had been his friends before he allowed us to bite Bella.

"I don't need your permission to allow them to save Bella in the name of my grandfather. I am the rightful alpha of this pack even if I have not officially declared myself as such. You will not touch them Sam!" Jacob's body shook further but he kept his composure, his thoughts were racing.

"What is this about Billy? You were there when Bella was bitten. You saw the shape she was in and you didn't disagree when Jacob allowed us to save her life." Carlisle was speaking with Billy in a calm and composed voice. I desperately tried to listen to all of the thoughts around me but none were on anything other than hatred towards my family at what we had done to Bella.

"I'm only here to get Charlie." Billy looked ashamed as he spoke to Carlisle. Though the pack was angry with Jacob, Billy's only concern was for his friend's safety. "Anything between the pack is none of my concern."

"Billy," I said before Carlisle could respond. "Charlie is fine. He is receiving medical attention upstairs as we speak. He was found nearly unconscious in the woods and he is dehydrated but recovering. Why are you really here?"

Before Billy could answer, his thoughts answered for him. In his mind, he pictured us giving Charlie to Bella as a snack. The images he allowed his imagination to conjure up made me wince. He and his son both had very clear minds as compared to most humans. His next image was of Bella biting Charlie and turning him into one of us as well.

"I can assure you that everything you are imagining is false. I can take you to Charlie now if you will allow me to carry you in your chair upstairs. We have no intentions of harming him in any way."

"If you don't mind, I would prefer it if my son took me." Jacob snapped his attention from Sam to his father. Though Billy didn't utter it aloud, he was worried Jacob and Sam would fight. He didn't want his son to be hurt.

"Jacob, will you kindly escort your father to Charlie's bedside?" Carlisle asked in his doctor's voice.

"Sure thing dad. Sam," Jacob turned his attention, "you will not harm the Cullens. If I have to step up and take my rightful place as alpha to end this matter, I will. I will also banish you and anyone else who disagrees with my decision to protect these… vampires." Sam didn't retort as Jacob walked to his father's side and pushed him towards the front door. Carlisle knew he would have a hard time getting Billy and his chair up the stairs so he gave me one last glance and joined them inside.

"We don't care what Jacob told you leech. The treaty is broken and we want you and the rest of your coven off of these lands. As soon as Charlie is out of this house, leave or we will force you to leave." Sam stormed off into the direction of La Push, the rest of the wolves trailing behind him. Once out of site, he phased and ran with his pack.

As I turned to go inside, I could hear thoughts coming from upstairs. Billy was not happy that Bella was allowed so close to his best friend in her newborn state. To keep the peace, Bella reluctantly released Charlie's hand and made her way downstairs and outside to where I stood. She wore a look of sheer agony on her beautiful face.

"I take it things with the pack didn't go well?" She said as she made her way to my side. The wind blew her hair in a fan around her shoulders and into her face. I gently pushed it back from her eyes and tucked it behind her ears like I did so long ago.

"As well as to be expected I suppose." I pulled her into my arms and kissed her gently. As I was pulling away, Bella decided that our kiss was not nearly as long as she wanted. She pulled my lips back to hers and kissed me with all of the passion she could muster. I returned every ounce of passion she was bestowing upon me. Before things could be pushed further, I heard someone clear their throat behind me.

"So I saw everyone's futures go black and decided to come home. It looks like we didn't miss anything too important." Alice was beaming from where she stood, arms folded in a mocking fashion. Even Jasper had a smirk on his face as he took in the sight of Bella and I in front of him.

"The wolves showed up. Billy thought we were throwing Charlie to Bella and the alpha wolf wants us to leave. He is claiming that we broke the treaty even though Jacob, the rightful alpha, gave us permission to bite Bella. I swear their minds are like a smutty soap opera Esme watches."

"Well isn't that just wonderful?" Alice's happy smirk was replaced with a scowl. Jasper moved closer to her side to wrap his arm around her tiny shoulders. He was trying to calm her to no avail.

"So do we have to leave then?" Bella spoke from my embrace, her eyes sad as I noticed her glance to the window of the room Charlie was currently in.

"Jacob seems to think he can make them reconsider, being that he is, after all, in charge by technicality. Sam doesn't seem weak though. He has no conscious thoughts of backing down, only thoughts of what he will do if we refuse. Of course he is taking into account the large number of our coven, which is why he is hoping we will listen to him and not try to fight. He doesn't want to love any of his brothers."

"We can leave. I don't want things to end badly between anyone on account of me." Bella was too selfless, always putting others before herself. She sighed but didn't say anything more.

"Don't worry love. Everything will work out." I soothed her. "Now, while Billy is with Charlie, we should allow you to finish your hunt so we can all catch up." Bella smiled and we were on our way, Alice and Jasper still deep in thought in our wake.

After hunting, Bella and I returned to our home to meet with the family. Billy refused to leave Charlie's bedside, which frustrated Bella to no end. She wanted to be next to her father. To keep matters under control, our entire family met downstairs in the living room to discuss what Sam had said earlier and to hear what happened to put Bella under their control in the first place. I knew this story would be difficult for Bella to tell. She already admitted that these human memories were still clear as crystal to her. Luckily, Jacob was out of the house on patrol of our land and Billy wouldn't be able to hear us. I believe if I had to see their thoughts of Bella's story, I wouldn't be able to allow her continue to tell it.

"So Bella, lets start with transformation. Do you remember any of it?" Carlisle, always the doctor first and the vampire second.

"Well, I was only in pain in the beginning but feeling the ache in my body from Victoria, the burn really didn't make things any worse than they already were. I really only woke up once. I was in the bed at that point and Edward and Jacob were trying to calm me down. Getting Edward to hold me cooled my body down enough to allow me to drift off again. Even while unconscious, I could feel the burning of my body but I didn't recognize it as pain. When I woke up again, I saw Edward's face." Bella smiled as she leaned her body into my chest. She was sitting on my lap on the couch, the rest on our family with their significant others in similar positions around the room.

"Excellent." Carlisle said. "And when we left… What happened to you from there?"

"Well… I wasn't exactly human when you left. I mean, I got out of bed, went to school, and kept my grades up but I was only going through the motions of life. I lost myself for a long time even as far as getting arrested by my own father for breaking into the school."

"You broke into the school?" Alice gasped. "What could you have possibly been doing there? You're there five days of the week without having to force your way inside."

Bella would have blushed if she had been able, "I wanted to see your records… I wanted to see if the school had any idea where the mysterious Cullens moved. Once I found them, I realized the printed location was just a cover. I knew there was no way you could really be living in Los Angeles. There is just too much sun. Anyway, a janitor saw me and called the police. Charlie was upset to have to put me in handcuffs."

"Edward I _told _you she would get into trouble without us here!" Alice was fuming but holding her position. All of her echoing thoughts were smug and angry.

"Anyway, I decided to spend time in La Push. Jacob and I were friends in the past and I realized that human interaction was really what I needed. Well, human enough. I found out later that he was a werewolf, this was before Laurent came back."

"Irina called us about him. She said he just up and left one day and she couldn't understand why. She asked us to keep a lookout for him." Carlisle said. "Did he try to attack you?"

"Well I spent more and more time in La Push, eventually staying over night. Charlie became tired of waking up and me being gone so he took my truck apart. I couldn't stand the silence of the house so I walked back to La Push, the only place I felt human. When I decided I was okay to go home, Billy insisted that I stay to protect Charlie. I listened and stayed. Eventually I became depressed there as well so I decided to seek out the meadow. On my way there, Laurent found me. If Jake hadn't come along, he would have killed me where I stood. Unfortunately he got away."

"We don't know where he is, but we do know that Victoria received information from him. I don't think he has any intention of coming back for you." I rubbed soothing circles on her hand as her heart rate increased.

"How long were you in the woods Bella?" Esme asked from Carlisle's side. I knew Bella spent at least two days there from her scent.

"I was out there for three days. Once Laurent was gone and I was alone again, I decided to walk to your house. It was stupid but… I had to do it." Bella's voice was barely a whisper now and we were all thankful for our powerful hearing.

"Once I made my way to the house, I was starving. There was nothing really left here that was edible so I went to the river to at least hydrate myself. I knew Jake would come for me eventually. I was soaking in the water when he appeared. I was happy to see him but I realized he was looking behind me and he began to growl. When I turned around, I saw Victoria perched in a tree watching me. Jake took off after her even with me screaming for him to stop. I just knew she would kill him… After he chased her away, he came back for me and took me back to La Push. Billy was in contact with Charlie constantly telling him he hadn't seen me. It was the easiest way to keep Charlie safe."

"I had the vision of you in the water and thought you drowned. We all thought you were dead Bella. I can't see the wolves or anyone who is around them. My visions go black which usually means someone is dead."

"Alice, I'm so sorry I worried you!" Bella almost jumped from her seat next to me to embrace Alice but Carlisle's next question stopped her.

"When Victoria attacked you on the reservation, what happened? Your body was in quite a state and no human medical treatment could have saved you." It was the question we all wanted to ask but also didn't want to hear answered. For the first time since meeting Bella, I was thankful that her thoughts were silent to me.

We sat on bated breath as Bella told us of how she didn't realize we were back and how Victoria had tortured her and taunted her. We all cringed at the image placed before us. Though none of my family saw Victoria's actions towards Bella, their conjured images were enough to make me want to scream.

"When I saw Edward walk in the room, all of my pain set in and all I wanted was to be in his arms." She smiled into my eyes, her eyes filled with venom wishing it could fall.

"I'm glad she's gone." Alice whispered. We all nodded in agreement.

We all spoke with Bella of our time away from her and of what we were doing to try to keep our minds off of her in our absence. She eyed all of us with her crimson gaze in shock that we would miss her as much as she missed us. We only stopped talking when Jacob burst through the front door, a look of terror on his face.

"Sam is on his way. He wants to see Charlie. He's going to tell him everything unless you leave."

"So it's come to blackmail now?" Rosalie huffed from her corner with Emmett.

"Apparently so. He can't think of another way to get you to leave without a fight." Jacob caught his breath and made his way over to us. "Is Charlie even awake?"

We all listened silently to the sounds coming from upstairs. Charlie was mumbling, Billy speaking to him softly, but he wasn't quite coherent.

"Yes," I answered, 'but he isn't awake enough to speak clearly. He thinks he is at home in his bed recovering from a long night of sleeping pills."

"Should we just move him to his house and make him think he was home all along? I could easily say I came across him while hiking in the woods." Jacob's idea would at least save us some explaining.

"But that doesn't explain how he saw Bella. He's asking for her. He knows that she was with him earlier and Billy can't seem to convince him otherwise." Carlisle stood from the love seat that he shared with Esme.

"No." I said. "But at least that is one less question we have to find an answer for." Rosalie nodded but didn't speak.

"So it's settled then. Carlisle, give him something to knock him back out and I'll take him home. I'll be back to deal with Sam." Jacob went to stand but I felt Bella tense in my lap.

"No. I'll take him home. He's my dad." Bella stood from my lap and made her way towards Carlisle.

"Bella you can't be serious. You've pushed your self control enough for one day don't you think? You're being stupid." Jacob moved to grab Bella's arm. Without thinking, I dashed across the room and grasped his wrist before he touched Bella. He jerked from my hold and growled in response.

"Look you two. If Bella says she can handle this, let her handle it." Rosalie smiled at Bella from her corner of the room. It was still impressive to see Rose be kind to anyone.

"Thanks Rose." Bella said. "Carlisle, can you give him something? I don't want him to wake up and see me holding him."

"Of course Bella. Jacob, I may need you to get your father back home or at least outside. I'm sure he will be upset with the turn of events but I will not deny Bella her request." Carlisle's voice was stern but Jacob still chose to argue.

"How can you let her do this? What if Bella kills him?"

"Edward will be there with her and I trust my daughter Jacob."

Jacob snorted at the thought of Carlisle being Bella's father but he chose to say nothing outside of his thoughts.

"I know this is morbid but… I think I want to have a funeral for myself. I can hold my breath as if I'm dead and allow myself to be buried. I just want to give Charlie closure after we leave. At least this way he will be safe and we can move on without having to cause a tear in the pack. It's the least I can do for him after all I've put him through."

"You can't be serious?" Jacob's voice caught up with his thoughts before anyone else.

"I am serious Jake. I can't leave knowing my dad still has hope that I'm alive. He will never live in peace if he keeps looking."

"I think it's a bad idea Bella. Sam isn't going to make you leave. I'm going to handle that. Forget having to throw your own funeral. That's just creepy."

"Well Jake, I guess we're just going to have to agree to disagree." Bella smiled but showed no intentions of backing down.


	15. Chapter 15

**15. Plans**

**Edward's POV**

"_Well Jake, I guess we're just going to have to agree to disagree."_

I didn't have to be able to hear Bella's thoughts to know that her funeral was already planned. If this is what she wanted to do for her parents, I wouldn't dream of arguing with her.

No one noticed when Carlisle slipped from the room and up the stairs. He was at Charlie's bedside gently trying to talk Billy into leaving. Charlie was beginning to awaken so he had to act quickly with the medication into the IV.

"Billy, he will be much more comfortable at home. As soon as he is settled, I will call you and you can remain with him until he wakes up. Our plan is to tell Charlie Jacob found him while hiking and took him home. I was called to come tend to him in his own home for comfort purposes. This is the easiest explanation for all of us to keep his questions to a minimum."

"Can't Jacob take me to Charlie's house from here? I assume you will be taking him home on foot. By the time I arrive, he will already be set up."

We all listened to the conversation overhead. Carlisle moved to Charlie's side to add the medication to his IV. It would be enough to last until Bella carried him home. Though I was uneasy having Bella carry Charlie, I knew I could not deny her of anything she desired. She held herself off while he had blood on him, I believe in her to get him home safely.

As if on cue, Carlisle appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Jacob, please come escort your father to Charlie's. Take my Mercedes. We will be there when you arrive."

"I can't believe you're still going through with this. You're all insane!" Jacob argued but still carried himself upstairs to get his dad.

"Are you going to unhook the IV Carlisle? I'm not sure how I can keep from shaking Charlie's body and keep the IV in place." Bella was biting her bottom lip, a habit she hadn't dropped from her humanity.

"Yes. The medication is in his system as we speak. As soon as you're ready, I'll unhook everything. I will still need to take the equipment. We wouldn't want Charlie to see IV marks in his skin and have no medical equipment around."

"I'll carry that for you Carlisle." I offered. "I need you to get Charlie's cruiser from where he left it and bring it home. We can say Jacob drove him home and I gave him a ride to pick up Billy. We will have the correct number of cars there then."

"Carlisle, why don't we make things easier and say I drove Charlie home in his cruiser and you let me borrow your car while you tended to him to go get my dad? One of you can go grab the cruiser from where he left it." Jacob had Billy and his chair at the top of the stairs. "That way we don't have to remember anything too farfetched."

"He has a point." Alice said. "Unless anyone objects, Jazz and I are going to go hunt. We were barely out of Forks before we ran back before."

"We're fine here Alice. Thank you." Esme smiled warmly at her and Jasper.

"I think Emmett and I will go hunt as well unless you need us. Bella, can I do anything for you?" Rosalie's face was full of concern.

Bella's breath caught. She was still unaccustomed to Rosalie being kind to her. "No thank you Rose. We can handle everything." Bella hugged Rosalie and Emmett ruffled her hair before they ran out of the house.

"Carlisle, can you grab the front of this chair so I don't dumb him out in the floor?"

Carlisle went to the top to the stairs to help Jacob get Billy down safely.

"So it's settled then. Bella, I think you should stay here to make sure no accidents occur with Charlie." Billy gave Bella a harsh look but his mind showed nothing but concern for his friend. I was surprised to hear that Bella didn't argue. She nodded and walked to the kitchen with Esme.

"I will be carrying my dad. Billy just doesn't have to know." She whispered only loud enough for the vampires to hear. She didn't want to cause argument with Billy. What he didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

"Edward, please get the keys to the Mercedes for Jacob." Carlisle said.

_"I can't believe I get to drive the Mercedes! I'll have to take a cruise around Forks before I bring it back that's for sure."_ Jacob's thoughts flowed with excitement.

"You're welcome to drive it as far as you wish Jacob. Enjoy yourself." I smiled as I tossed the keys to him. I knew having permission to drive the car would kill the entire experience for him. I couldn't help myself.

"Well get a move on. We'll see you at Charlie's." Billy rolled himself to the front door. Jacob helped him out to our separate garage to get the Mercedes. When we heard the smooth purr of the engine, Bella reappeared in the room.

"Is everything ready? I need to get on planning my funeral for Charlie."

"We can go get him now. He is completely asleep and you have about twenty minutes before the medication wears off."

We moved up the stairs at inhuman pace to gather up the medical supplies and Charlie himself. Upon entering the room, Bella tensed but still kept strong in her mission.

"Bella, I can carry Charlie. You don't have to push yourself." I tried one last time to make her reconsider. She shook her head in response and moved to Charlie's side to gently lift him. I could tell she was holding her breath. She was determined not to take a chance with his life more than she already was.

Bella bent and lifted Charlie's body with ease. It was still unusual for me to see Bella so strong. I missed her humanity deeply but this new Bella was everything I could have ever wished for. I could only hope that we could have as normal as possible lives someday.

"Lets go." Bella whispered. Carlisle and I gathered the unneeded medical props and followed Bella down the stairs. Esme got Charlie's keys and planned to get the cruiser. It needed to be at his house when he woke up or the story wouldn't fit.

Carlisle kissed Esme goodbye while Bella and I stood on the front porch, Charlie rested gently against her body. She gazed down on him as if he were her child. The love she held for him in her eyes was evident.

"He would be proud of you." I whispered as Bella continued to stare at her father.

"I can only hope so. I was horrible to him these past few months. I hope having a funeral will make it up to him." By the end of her sentence, she was out of breath. Ever so slowly, Bella inhaled. I could see the look of pain on her face but she didn't react to the burn deep within her throat. "I have an idea for Jasper, if he will go along with it. I want to tell Charlie goodbye properly but I want him to think it's a dream. I figured Jasper's gift could help." Just as slowly as before, Bella took another breath. This one didn't seem to bother her as much as the first had.

"We can discuss this later love. Lets just concentrate on getting him home."

"Are we ready?" Carlisle joined us on the porch. With a nod, we ran in the direction of Charlie's house. Bella seemed to have no trouble navigating through the trees with Charlie in her arms. At this speed, I couldn't tell if she was breathing or not.

Upon arrival, I could hear Jacob's thoughts in the distance but they had a few more minutes before they reached the house. Taking the key from the eve and unlocking the door, Bella brushed past me to carry Charlie to his bed.

I followed quickly behind her to get the medical devices set up in their proper places for Charlie's awakening. I entered the room just as Bella gently placed Charlie in the bed. She sat down next to him and stroked his forehead in a motherly fashion.

"Bella love, you need to go to your bedroom. Billy is about to be here and we don't need him to be in a panic when Charlie wakes up." Bella didn't turn her head away from her father but I could tell that she nodded at me. As soon as I heard the car pull into the driveway, Bella stood and went to her room in silence after placing a kiss on Charlie's brow. I knew it killed her to leave her dad's side but she knew it was for the best.

"Carlisle?" In an instance Carlisle was at my side. "I'm going to stay out of sight in Bella's room with her. Do whatever you have to do for Charlie. Jacob may need some help getting Billy's chair up the stairs.

"That's not a problem. I'll let you know if I need anything." Carlisle placed a hand on my shoulder before he flashed downstairs to help Jacob. I left Charlie's sleeping form to join Bella in her bedroom.

When I opened her door, Bella was frantically running around with a duffel bag throwing random items into it in no particular order.

"Love, what are you doing?" I slowly walked across the room to rest on her unused bed.

"I want a few memories from my human life. I grabbed a few books, my pictures, and some other items. I can't come back here ever again… At least I can take some of it with me."

I smiled as I remembered the items I hid under her floorboards. I stood from the bed and slowly walked to the seemingly undisturbed wood. Lifting the strips gently, I noticed Bella turned around to see what I was doing. I heard her breath hitch in her throat when she realized what I pulled out from her floor.

"Those were there the entire time…?" I knew her heart would be racing if it were still able to beat. The thought made me sad momentarily but I shook it off quickly.

"I couldn't take them Bella. I wanted to but even in my decision to protect you, my selfishness wanted me to leave something of myself here with you."

She joined me in the floor and took the cd and photos into her hands. She touched them each gently and I could hear her trying to sob. The noise tore at my heart.

"I wish I had known. I spent so long thinking you didn't love me. If I could have found these, I would have found a way to reach you. Nothing would have stopped me."

"Bella… I haven't had the chance to apologize to you since I got back. Every word I said that day, they were all laced with deceit. I tortured myself for months over those absurd lies. I will spend the rest of eternity making it up to you. I love you so…"

"Edward." Bella stopped me as she placed a cool finger over my lips. "What happened doesn't matter. We just need to build off of what we have now. At least we have eternity together. Lets fix things with Charlie and then live out the rest of our existence together in sweet bliss."

I leaned in to kiss her perfect lips. Since she woke up as a vampire, I hadn't had the chance to touch her as I truly wished. Though now wasn't the time, at least I could enjoy a part of her in my grasp.

"They're inside." Bella whispered against my mouth. "Should we leave?"

Unwillingly, I pulled away from her. "Only if you wish to. Billy won't know you're here. I assumed you wanted to stay close to your dad."

"I think we should go. I want to plan a way for my body to be found." Her voice was barely a whisper.

"Love, what were you talking about earlier with needing Jasper's help?" My memory was back to our moments on the porch.

"Well… I was hoping Jasper could use his gift to keep Charlie partially asleep. I would like to say goodbye to him but make him think it was a dream. I know Charlie was asking for me earlier but after he wakes up, Jacob can convince him that it was all in his head."

"I'm sure Jasper wouldn't mind helping you do that. None of us were able to say goodbye to our parents. At least you will be strong enough to. Do you plan to do this before the funeral or after?"

"After. At least after he sees my lifeless body, appearing to him in a dream won't give him hope that I'm still alive. I want the officers to discover my body and bury me. You can dig me up afterwards and no one will ever know."

"I think that will help you and Charlie both have closure."I kissed her head and pulled her into my lap.

_"Tell Bella that is a wonderful idea."_ Carlisle could hear us from Charlie's room.

"Carlisle agrees that you have a wonderful idea. He asked me to tell you."

"Thank you Carlisle." Bella whispered. "Edward, lets go back to the house. I'm sure Sam is there by now. At least we can explain to him what's going to happen. He gets us out of Forks and I get to give my father closure. We all win without a fight."

I admired Bella's courage but it killed me to know she had to give up everything over a sadistic vampire. Why couldn't I have been faster to save her from Victoria?

"Edward? Please stop blaming yourself."

"How did you know what I was thinking? I thought I was the mind reader."

"You are the mind reader but I know you well enough to see the look on your face when you throw yourself a pity party. I want eternity with you. I would have found a way to be changed eventually without Victoria in the picture. Now lets go before Sam gets antsy. Maybe the others will be back when we get there."

I stood with Bella in my arms before I reluctantly set her on her feet.

"Carlisle," I whispered, "We're going to deal with Sam. You can stay here with Charlie. We have to make the story believable."

_"Of course Edward. Esme should be outside any moment. Please wait for her."_

I agreed as Bella grabbed her filled duffel bag and we both ran down the stairs not wanting to disturb the window. Sure to his word, Esme pulled in just as we stepped outside. She quickly parked Charlie's cruiser and made her way over to us.

"Did Charlie get settled upstairs?"

"He is in bed and Carlisle just helped Jacob carry Billy up the stairs. Charlie should be awake at any moment." I answered.

"That's wonderful to hear. Will Carlisle be joining us to meet with the pack?"

_"I'm coming with you. I'll deal with Sam."_ Jacob's thoughts carried down the stairs.

"No he's not but apparently the dog is coming with us." I heard Jacob's growl as he made his way downstairs.

"I heard that leech." Jacob was standing in the doorway now.

"You were supposed to." I spat back.

"Okay well either way, we need to get to the house to talk to Sam. I'm sure once I explain he will let us stay a little longer." Bella held my hand as she spoke. The emotions behind her crimson eyes were sad yet hopeful.

"Bella I told you, I won't let him force you away. Relax and I'll handle this. I promise." Jacob made his way over to Bella. I tensed but I didn't pull her away when he reached to hug her. I was impressed that he kept up the argument of keeping Bella here.

"Thanks Jake but I have to do this. If nothing else, I have to do it for my parents."

"You can still see your parents. You're controlling yourself perfectly. Why should you have to leave?" Jacob didn't release Bella from their hug. His arms were still wrapped around her waist making jealousy fuel my being. I fought the urge to rip those arms from his body but Bella spoke before I could act.

"What about five years from now Jake? Or ten years? Surely Charlie is observant enough to notice that I'm not aging. Edward and I will always look like this no matter what we do or how many years go by. If Charlie starts to question our youth, he may stumble on the truth and be killed by the Volturi. I can't do that to my dad. Please just stop trying to argue." Bella gently released herself from Jacob's grasp and sought refuge in Esme's arms.

"It's okay Bella dear. We can do whatever you wish to console Charlie and Renee." Esme's motherly voice was soothing as Bella began to relax.

"Well I guess if you've decided to move on either way, we might as well get this over with." His silent thoughts followed, "_And to think, I was going to step up as the alpha for her."_

The thoughts from Jacob's mind surprised me. To be such a selfish individual, I was impressed that he had no desire to be the leader of the pack. I scanned his thoughts to see what held him back from being a leader but his mind was back on Bella.

"Alright, I'm going to meet Sam. Follow if you want to." Jacob ran to the edge of the forest away from Bella's house to phase. Once I heard the popping noise of his body, I looked to Esme and Bella.

"Are you ready love?"

"Yes. I'm ready to get this over with that's for sure." Bella sighed and released herself from Esme's arms. Casting a small smile at me, she dashed to the woods at inhuman speed. Esme and I followed quickly behind her. I could barely hear Charlie coming around upstairs as my feet him the edge of the forest. I could only hope that Bella didn't hear him arguing with Carlisle that Jacob wasn't the one to find him, Bella was. Hearing Charlie's frantic pleas to see Bella tore at my core. Jacob needed to deal with Sam quickly and return to speak with Charlie.

When we reached the house, Sam and the pack were already there. Sam was in his human form, the wolves directly behind him snarling as we approached. Each of their minds was filled with anticipation of a fight. Listening in, I could hear Alice's thoughts off in the distance. She and Jasper were close by incase Sam decided to attack.

"Sam, we have every intention of leaving. Please, I only ask one thing from you." Bella's voice was strong and clear. She refused to take no for an answer.

"What's your request Bella?" I was surprised to hear Sam call Bella by her name. We were all leeches to him. I guess having Bella around in my absence gave her special treatment even as a vampire.

"I want to have a funeral for myself. My plan is to have Jake tell my dad that he found my body and Carlisle arranged my burial. If I have an open casket, at least Charlie can see me and know that I was buried. It's not like I have to breathe or move at all. Once I'm buried, Edward can free me and my family and I will be on our way. I only want to give Charlie closure in my absence rather than spend the rest of his life wondering."

Sam's mouth fell open slightly. His thoughts were suddenly in frenzy as he attempted to compose a sentence. Becoming impatient, Jacob spoke.

"It's a simple request Sam. No one will be hurt and after the Cullens leave Forks, I'll split from your pack and follow."

"Why would you leave with them Jacob? Here is where you belong. Your father would never allow it." Sam lost his focus on Bella to take in Jacob's statement.

"Bella is my friend. I refuse to stay in a place where she is banned. My dad will understand my decision and you know it."

"Look, guys. After the funeral, my family and I will leave. Just give me four days Sam and we will be gone. You have my word." Bella stepped in between the two wolves. I wanted to protest but the look Bella gave me when I started to move stopped me in my place.

"Fine. Do what you must to leave our town. You have four days and we will remove you by force. Jacob, if you insist on going your own way to join a coven of vampires, so be it. We will not stand in your way." Without a glance back, Sam retreated out of site, the wolves in his wake.

"Well now that that's over with, I should probably get back to Charlie's to make the story more believable." I couldn't agree more but as Jacob turned to leave, Bella stopped him.

"Jake! How could you turn away from the pack to follow me? Your entire life is here."

"No Bella. My entire life is with you. Even if you will only allow me to follow you as your pet, I'll accept it and follow you to the ends of the Earth." Jealousy filled my core and made my body tense but I refused to move. Alice took this moment to emerge from the forest followed by Jasper.

"Well Bella, shall we get everything set up for the funeral? I saw that it would be easier if we say Carlisle planned it rather than have Charlie try to plan it in his grief."

"What about Jake?" Bella turned from Alice to where Jacob was previously standing. Without Bella's notice, he made a silent exit and was already on his way back to Charlie's house. His thoughts left no room for argument.

"Love, let me take your bag upstairs. I'll give you whatever space you need to get the plans in motion. If we only have four days, we need to get a move on."

Bella didn't speak, only kissed my lips quickly and ran inside with Esme and Alice.

Jasper made his way slowly to my side.

"She is terribly upset. She's excited to move on and have a life with you but she is in agony over leaving her father. Her emotions are all over the place." Jasper whispered softly to keep Bella from hearing.

"I can imagine she is," I replied, "She gave up everything for me. I refuse to deny her of any request. She has a question to ask you as well."

"Oh?" Jasper looked thoughtful. "What does she need?"

"I think it would be best if I allowed her to ask you personally."

"No problem. I'm sure I would be happy to oblige." Jasper smiled and walked at a human pace inside. I remained in my position, Bella's duffel back clutched to my chest. Glancing around to make sure I was alone, I decided to open the bag.

The first thing I saw was the cd case I retrieved from under the floor boards. I needed to be sure to play it for Bella later. Pushing it aside, I noticed her favorite book, a few snapshots from around her room, and a few other trinkets from her human life. Moving all of that aside, I noticed a few clothes in the bottom of the bag. Something hard was wrapped in one of her shirts. I felt a little guilty knowing that she wanted this item hidden but my curiosity was in over drive.

As gently as I sifted through the other items, I pulled the folded shirt out of the bag. I took a deep breath as I unfolded it. Looking inside at the hidden treasure, I dropped the bag to the ground and pulled it from the t shirt. Holding the small book in my hands, I knew I was crossing a forbidden line but I had to see what secrets it held.

"Edward no!" Alice bolted from the house. "You don't want to read that! Bella will be extremely upset if you do. That's her diary. She wrote in it every day while we were gone." Alice gently pulled the small diary from my hand and clutched it against her chest.

"It's bad isn't it?" My voice was hushed to keep Bella from hearing.

"It's beyond bad. I'm positive that Bella doesn't want you to know what's inside of this book. Give her time Edward. She will eventually let you see it. Until then, you need to respect her privacy." As upset as I was for being denied Bella's secrets, I had to admit that she was right.

"Okay Alice. Will you take these things upstairs? I need to go for a run to clear my head. I'll be back in a few minutes." Without waiting for Alice to reply, I ran toward the creek behind our home. I wanted to go to Charlie's to see what story Carlisle came up with but I knew Alice would see that I lied about my destination. Instead, I decided to run around the property and plot on how to read Bella's diary. Though I respected her privacy, I had to know what her life had been like while I was away. I wanted the unedited version of her story, not the one she told to my family and I earlier tonight.

I barely reached the creek when my cell phone vibrated in my pocket. I answered without looking.

"Edward, drop it." Alice's voice rang in my ear, "I can see you're planning to plot. I've hidden her diary. She will let you read it in her own time and not a second sooner. If you're going to sit around trying to figure out how to secretly read her private memories, you might as well save yourself the trouble and come home. Bella needs you now."

Before I could respond, Alice hung up. I felt ashamed at the very idea of violating Bella's trust but that didn't soothe my curiosity. I could only hope Alice was right and Bella will share these memories with me in good time.

I turned quickly to go back to the house to my Bella. We only had four days to complete our task at hand and not a moment could be wasted. I needed to help her in every possible way. I could only hope that once her mind could rest, she would accept my proposal and truly be mine for eternity. The very idea made my legs pump harder to reach her side.


	16. Chapter 16

**16. Funeral**

**Edward's POV**

"Edward! You're home!" Bella flew from the dining room table and into my arms as I walked through the door. I inhaled her scent deeply and kissed her forehead. Being able to touch Bella and not have bloodlust get in the way was incredible.

"I have everything planned and Alice will make the phone calls tomorrow once my body is found." For a moment I forgot why Bella and Alice were conspiring at the table. Dread filled my body at the thought of Bella being buried even though I knew it was all for show.

"How are you going to have your body found?"

"Well as I said before, I will have Jake tell Charlie that he found me and called an ambulance. Carlisle is going to check my body into the morgue and pretend to handle everything that they do with dead bodies. The funeral will take place two days after that. Everything will be perfect. Charlie will see me in the casket and will be by the graveside when it's lowered into the ground."

"You really are going to be buried then? Open casket and all?" I pulled away from her slightly to see her eyes. Though they were sad, she seemed happy to be doing this.

"Yes. I'm really going to be buried. You, Jasper, and Emmett can dig me up that night. Nobody will notice that my body is gone once it's been placed in the ground. After I get out of the casket, I'm going to hunt to be sure I'm not thirsty before I go see my dad. That's where Jasper's gift comes in. After I say my goodbye, we will be out of Forks by morning and everyone will be happy again."

"That sounds like a well thought out plan, but how do you explain the cause of death? Surely everyone will want to know how you mysteriously died." Thinking of Bella being buried alive was still not sitting well with me but I had to accept it for her if nothing else.

"Starvation of course. I've been gone for almost two weeks since my dad heard word about me. Billy and the La Push pack will know the truth but Charlie won't." Her answer seemed simple yet believable.

"Are you sure this is what you want to do love? I'm not sure it's the best idea we could come up with."

"Edward, it's going to work. I've seen it." Alice showed me her vision of the funeral. Everything was beautiful and went off without a hitch.

"How is it Alice?" Bella pulled from my arms and rushed to Alice's side.

"Perfect." Alice smiled and looked back at her magazine.

"You actually let Bella plan this entirely on her own Alice?'

"Of course I did. The only job I have is making sure the casket is ordered on time, which it will be! This is all for Bella, and she knows what she wants."

"Okay well… What do I need to do?" Bella ran back to my arms as I spoke.

"I need you to be at my funeral and act sad. At least if you're there, my parents will see that you really care about me. In a way, it's them giving me their blessings to be with you." Bella smiled and the joy overtook her face. I couldn't help but kiss her perfect mouth.

"Anything for you my beautiful Bella." I whispered against her lips.

"Carlisle will be home in exactly forty seconds. He has some news for us." Alice chirped dropping her magazine. I tried to listen to her thoughts but she was humming in her head.

Forty seconds later exactly, Carlisle walked into the front room.

"We have a problem." He spoke. He was usually calm and collected but he was frantic at this moment.

"Charlie knows he saw Bella. He even described what she was wearing and her eye color. Jacob is still there trying to convince him that it was a dream. Alice, can you see anything?"

We all turned our attention to my sister as she searched for Charlie's future. I watched the images through her mind as she saw them. Charlie asked a lot of questions but once he saw Bella's body in the forest, he stopped arguing.

"Everything will calm down once the funeral is over. Jacob can stop wasting his breath though because Charlie isn't going to believe him until he sees Bella tomorrow." Alice's worried expression thinned out and calmed after her vision.

"Thank God. If Charlie isn't consoled after the funeral I don't know what I would do. I need to call Jake and give him his assignment. Carlisle, can you check me into the morgue? I need everything to look real."

"Of course Bella. I'll be at the hospital tomorrow visiting with friends when the ambulance is called to get you. I still have authority at the hospital so I will volunteer to prepare your body. I'll also tell Charlie that I am planning your funeral if that will help you."

"Thank you so much Carlisle!" Bella ran to hug him. He gladly hugged her back in a fatherly fashion. "I will pay you back every cent you spend on the funeral as well. I don't want to be a burden."

"Bella, you aren't a burden on this family, you're part of it. Money means nothing to us as you will come to realize over time. I wouldn't think of allowing you to pay me back."

"Thank you Carlisle." Bella hugged him once more. "Can I use someone's phone please? I need to call Jake and tell him the plan."

* * *

The plans were made and ready to be put in motion. Bella was to meet with Jacob in the woods at seven-thirty a.m. As soon as she arrived, he would call in the discovery of her body. Carlisle would already be in position at the hospital where he will be able to offer to prepare Bella's body for burial. Alice was blind for the most part since Jacob agreed to help. We could only hope things would run smoothly.

"I'm going to meet Jake. Do you want to come with me?" Bella rolled over in our bed and kissed me gently on the lips. We spent the entire night holding each other and listening to the cd I made for her before I left.

"Only if you wish for me to." I replied against her mouth.

"I do want you to be close by incase I can't handle myself. It will make me feel at ease knowing you're there with me."

"How can I deny you?" I kissed her again before we both stood from the bed to head downstairs. I could barely contain my excitement. After her funeral, I planned a romantic evening for the two of us. At the end of the evening, I would ask Bella to be my wife. My mother's ring in my pocket brushed gently against my leg as I walked to the door and down that stairs.

The run only lasted a few minutes. I could hear Jacob's thoughts in the distance but he didn't know I was here. I decided it would be best to give Jacob and Bella some time alone. He was already calling in Bella's body to the police. They were sending in an ambulance and coming along themselves to inspect the area. I could only assume Charlie would be coming as well.

"_Poor Charlie. I really hoped he wouldn't have to see Bella this way." _Jacob's thoughts were at the same spot as mine. Quickly kissing Bella's temple, I rushed into the forest to remain hidden.

"Hey Bella. I already called the police to report your body. Are you just going to lie down or what? And just so we're clear, you don't have to do this." I could hear the guilt in Jacob's voice and his thoughts. He believed if he had kept a better eye on her while she was with him, she would still be human.

"I'm going to lie down in the leaves and get my body in a curled up pose like I'm sleeping. I don't want to look like I died in pain. It will be easier for Charlie."

"Okay. And you can do this without moving or breathing? Are you sure it will be convincing?" I almost laughed at Jacob's question. To be a vampire slayer, he knew very little about the general makeup of our kind.

"Jake, trust me. I don't have to move and I don't require air. It will be fine. My heart doesn't beat or anything. I just need to be sure they don't look at my eyes."

"No problem. I doubt they will do more than take you to the morgue for an autopsy. With Carlisle there, I assume they will let him perform it. I need to go to the road to wave down the officers. I would carry you out but they told me not to disturb your body. Where are you going to be?" I watched Bella bite her bottom lip through Jacob's thoughts. She looked around and settled for a spot in front of a large tree.

"Right here." She settled down into the debris and stretched her body out. I could see the dress fan around her legs. Bella was sure to wear something other than what Charlie saw her in the day before. She didn't want him to believe any further that it was her who carried him home.

"Okay. I'll be back in a few minutes with the police then."

As soon as Jacob ran out of site, I flashed to Bella's side.

"Are you comfortable love?"

"Of course. I can be comfortable in any position." She smiled up at me.

"I need to fix your dress. Wandering around in the woods for a week, your dress would be dirty and torn more than likely." Bella nodded her agreement and slowly, we both tore the dress in a few places with our finger nails.

"I'll get the dress dirty. Be right back." In the most graceful run I had ever seen, Bella ran through the forest and rolled herself in the leaves leaving her hair astray and her dress torn and muddied before returning to her original spot.

"Alice is going to have a heart attack when she sees what had to be done to this dress." Bella tried to look ashamed but the smile on her lips gave away her true feelings.

"Remember not to breathe or move. It should come naturally. Carlisle will be waiting for the ambulance when you arrive."

"Thank you Edward. This means a lot to me and I'm sure it will mean so much more to my dad even if he doesn't realize it." She smiled gently before looking back to our entwined hands in her lap.

"Jacob is on the way back with the police and rescue crew. I'll meet you at the hospital. I love you." I ran quickly into the safety of the trees before Bella had a chance to distract me. I only had to wait a few seconds before Jacob came into view with the police officers, the paramedics trailing a few feet behind.

Jacob took in the ruffled up Bella and caught himself smiling at her new look. He removed it quickly before anyone could notice.

"Everyone, lets be calm. We can't be sure how long she's been here." Carl, one of the paramedics moved to Bella's side and felt for her pulse. Listening to his thoughts, Bella's cold skin startled him. He felt for her nonexistent pulse for a moment before he announced her dead.

"Bella? My Bella? Oh my poor baby!" Charlie rushed to Bella's side and pulled her lifeless body to his chest. He was sobbing uncontrollably into Bella's hair. I could imagine how hard it was for Bella not to hug her father back and comfort him.

"Bella I'm so sorry. I should have understood your feelings about the Cullen boy leaving. I gave up on you when you needed me the most and I will have to live with that for the rest of my life. Please forgive me Bella. I love you so much." My heart went out to Charlie for the daughter he lost. I wish there had been a way for Bella to stay near him.

"Chief, we need to get her body into the ambulance." Carl spoke to Charlie.

"Can I carry her? You don't need to bring the gurney into the woods." Charlie asked his question aloud while his internal thoughts said, "_She carried me to safety when I was here. The least I can do for her is carry her body to the ambulance."_

So he still believed it was Bella who carried him? Even in a semi unconscious state, he knew his daughters touch on his skin. Perhaps this was the best way to put Charlie's mind at ease.

Without waiting for an answer from the paramedics, Charlie lifted Bella's limp body from the ground and carried her out of my sight. All thoughts were filled with pity for the poor police chief, mine included. Bella was doing well pretending to be deceased.

As soon as I heard the ambulance pull away from the road, I ran to meet Carlisle in the hospital to await Bella's arrival. I would be there mere minutes before the ambulance arrived.

Once I could see the edge of the woods and the hospital in the distance, I checked my surroundings to be sure there were no wandering eyes and made my way out of the safety of the forest and into the emergency area. As I expected, Carlisle stood there waiting for me.

"Alice called and said you were on the way. I need you to stay in out of sight until Charlie leaves. He will be less than pleasant if he knows you're in town. He won't be able to see you until the funeral."

"That won't be a problem. I'll stay completely out of sight until Bella is alone. The ambulance will be here any moment." Carlisle nodded as I walked at human pace to his office to wait.

I watched the action through Carlisle's thoughts. Bella was unloaded from the ambulance and carried straight to the morgue, Charlie guarding her every step of the way. It took Carlisle a good twenty minutes to convince Charlie to return home to call Renee and tell her about the discovery. He also assured Charlie that the funeral would be handled and he would have to do nothing other than grieve.

The moment Charlie left the morgue and reached the parking lot, I walked at human pace to meet with Bella. Before I reached the closed off room, I could hear her sobbing uncontrollably. I moved slightly faster than human pace to reach her side. Thankfully no humans were around to notice.

"Bella what's wrong? Are you alright?" I ran to her position on the gurney and pulled her into my lap. She wrapped around my body and continued to sob into my chest.

"I'll leave you two alone. Be careful when you leave Edward. It's not every day a dead woman walks out of the morgue." Carlisle cast me a quick smirk and went back to join his fellow doctors with whom he was conversing before Bella arrived.

I sat in silence for a few more minutes allowing Bella to dry sob against me until she finally spoke.

"I wanted… To comfort him… I know I'm supposed to be dead but I wanted so badly to reach out to him to let him know it's going to be okay…" She trailed off.

"I understand. Truly, I do. At least you will be able to speak with him after the funeral before we move. Esme is having a place cleaned up for us in Paris right now."

"Paris? As in France?" Bella seemed excited suddenly.

"Of course. We will be able to see the sights, have plenty of area to hunt, and just live our lives for a few years. We won't be attending school this time around thankfully. Jasper and Alice are going to be finishing up their travels while Rosalie and Emmett head off to enjoy each other. We will all meet back up in a few years. We'll also visit so much it will be like we never separated."

"It sounds so wonderful Edward. Thank you. Does Esme need any help?"

"No love. Esme enjoys doing this alone."

"That's fine then. I guess we need to get out of here. I would really like to run if you don't mind. Take in the sights and smells as much as possible before we move."

"I think that's a wonderful idea."

We left the morgue as quickly as possible and made our way into the surrounding woods undetected. I had no need to tell the family where we were going, Alice would handle that aspect for us. For now, it was just Bella and I running and enjoying ourselves as much as the situation would allow.

* * *

The next day passed quickly and before we knew it, it was time for Bella's funeral. Alice and Rosalie spent the day applying makeup and fixing her hair. The coffin had been closed for the visitation the night before so Bella wasn't required to lie inside of it. Today, however, the casket would be open for all to pay their final respects to her memory.

Alice picked out a pale blue dress for Bella to wear for her funeral and had her hair half pulled up and the rest falling gently down her back and curled. Though it was the funeral director's job to do all of this, Carlisle said he would rather do it himself out of respect. There were no arguments against Carlisle's request.

"Done!" Alice yelled from the top of the stairs.

I removed myself from my piano to stand at the base of the stairs to see Bella. Alice was practically bouncing as Bella walked out of the bedroom and to the stairs. She was beautiful, I had to admit. All of her makeup was subtle and her dress looked incredible against her pale skin. She walked at human pace down the stairs and into my arms.

"You look amazing Bella. Everyone will be impressed."

"If only I looked amazing for a different occasion, I might agree with you." She whispered into my chest.

"I need to get Bella to the funeral home and in place." Carlisle came out of his study.

"I'll see you tonight when you unbury me then right?" Bella looked into my eyes.

"Well actually we had a plan about that Bella." Carlisle flashed down the stairs. "As we move to the graveside, the casket will remain closed so no one will know if you're truly inside or not. Jasper is going to be driving the hearse and Alice will be hiding in the back. As soon as you are loaded into the car, Alice will help you get out of the casket. This makes things much easier than having to sneak in and dig everything back up later. You only have to stay hidden until everyone leaves."

"That sounds perfect! I have no problems with that." Bella was now out of my embrace and holding my hand.

"Alright everyone. You all know what to do. I'll see you when you arrive at the funeral home. Edward, please steer clear of Charlie unless he approaches you. Alice can't see how he will handle you being there since the wolves are coming."

"I had no intentions of approaching him but thank you for the concern either way." I smiled and looked back to Bella. "I'll see you as soon as the funeral is over love." I kissed her quickly before she ran outside with Carlisle.

"So… You're proposing to Bella huh? It's going to be so romantic!" Alice squealed.

"Eddie boy is going to propose?" Emmett's voice boomed from his room. "Finally he's going to be a man! Took you long enough bro."

I growled in response but I had to admit that I was thrilled to be proposing to Bella. I kept my mother's ring in my pocket at all times as a reminder of what my future held.

"I can't wait to start officially planning your wedding! I promise it will be amazing!" Before Alice's thoughts gave anything away, she began singing in her mind and pranced gracefully out of the house to join Jasper in the back yard.

* * *

Waiting to see Bella again was agonizing. I couldn't have moved to the car any faster when Alice announced that it was time to leave. Jasper, Alice, Rosalie, and Emmett rode in Rosalie's M3 while Esme and I took my Volvo. Carlisle was already at the funeral home in his Mercedes. When we leave to go to the graveside, Jasper, Bella, and Alice will occupy the hearse.

"Are you alright Edward?"Esme asked from beside me on the drive.

"I'm fine. My heart goes out to Charlie but I'm very anxious to get all of this behind us."

"I can understand that. It will all be over shortly dear. You're doing a good thing for Bella you know." Esme smiled her motherly smile at me.

"I know. It's the least I could do for her after all I've put her through. Did you know she kept a diary the entire time we were gone?"

"Alice mentioned that. She also mentioned that you were planning to peek at it without Bella's permission." She frowned slightly but said nothing else.

"I wanted to, but I knew it was an invasion of privacy and thought better of it. Alice said she would share it with me in due time anyway so I must be patient."

"That's the son I know and love. Patience is something you should truly be proud of. I know I'm proud of it."

The rest of the drive was made in silence. We pulled into the parking lot after everyone else. The majority of the town was already there to pay their respects to their police chief and his lost daughter.

"Are we ready to go in? The wolves are already inside so I'll be blind for the rest of the day. Lets make the best of it shall we?"

Alice grabbed Jasper's hand as and made her way into the funeral home. I took a deep breath before I followed. Though I knew Bella wasn't actually dead, the thought of her lying lifeless in the coffin brought back too many fears I would have much rather forgotten.

Esme placed her hand in the crook of my elbow when I calmed myself enough to proceed into the building. We walked in silently and took our seats with the rest of our family.

Just loud enough for my family and Bella to hear, I whispered to my love. "I love you Bella. This will all be over shortly."

After the preacher finished, those close the Bella were asked to say a few words. Charlie read a poem for his daughter, Billy spoke of happier times, and a few friends Bella had in school said a few things. Bella's mother sat in the back of the room crying uncontrollably as she latched on to the man sitting next to her. I had to assume this man was her husband Phil.

"Jacob Black, will you please say a few words on Bella's behalf?" I stopped looking around the room as the preacher asked Jacob to approach the microphone. Jacob looked nervous but he came to the front of the room anyway. He was, after all, Bella's closest friend in her final days.

"Well, I'm not really sure what to say." Jacob glanced quickly at Bella's body in the casket. He glanced over the where my family and I sat before he continued.

"Bella was my best friend. We spent a lot of time together and I wish I could have done better by her. If she were here today, I wouldn't hesitate to tell her how much I love her and how much she means to me. She was a kind person and a great friend. I will spend the rest of my days thinking of her." My body tensed as Jacob confessed his love for Bella. My family and I all exchanged glances but no one spoke.

Jacob cast one look at Bella and whispered, "I mean it Bella. I love you."

I wish I didn't have strong enough hearing to understand what he said. Unfortunately, his voice was loud and clear to me. I could feel Rosalie biting back a growl from beside me. She and Jacob already had a strong bond of hatred with each other.

The funeral ended and everyone made their way to the parking lot to go to the graveside. Alice and Jasper were already in place waiting for the casket to be loaded in. I cast one last glance at the coffin before I got into my Volvo and followed the hearse to the graveside.

Bella was freed by the time we arrived. The pallbearers didn't notice the change in weight nor did they notice Bella escape to the woods to wait out the funeral. Everything was going smoothly.

As the casket was being lowered into the ground, Angela Weber tossed a small pink rose on top of it. She turned to cry into her boyfriend's chest. Both Angela and Ben cast angry thoughts towards me and my family, not that I could blame them.

The same happened with the rest of the guests at the funeral as the coffin was covered with the freshly turned earth. The others are lucky they are unable to read minds.

I remained by the graveside until everyone left. Charlie and Renee went out of their way to avoid me at all costs. I could understand the reason for their distance. I only hoped Bella would understand as well. I could feel her eyes on me from the forest.

"It was beautiful wasn't it?" Bella was at my side before I realized it.

"You need to stay out of sight in case someone is still around." I looked to the empty parking area but heard no thoughts of onlookers.

"I'm ready to go if you are. I want to hunt before I see my mom and dad. Phil is flying back to Jacksonville tonight and my mom is spending the night with Charlie. She told me when she came to the coffin earlier. She wants to grieve with him."

"Okay. After we get the car home we can hunt. Hurry before someone sees you walking away from your own grave." I teased.

We were home in no time. Alice met us at the door. "Bella, I can see you're going to be gone until dark. When you come back I'll fix your makeup and hair. I've also got colored contacts for you to wear when you see Charlie tonight. Jasper will be ready whenever you are."

"Thank you Alice. I really appreciate it."

"No problem at all Bella! What are sisters for?" Alice hugged Bella tightly and bounded up the stairs to her bedroom.

"Shall we?" I took Bella's hand as we ran from the house and though the trees. There was something I needed to know before we began our hunt.

"I need to ask you something Bella." She halted suddenly when I spoke.

"Anything."

"The other night, you packed a duffel bag from Charlie's house. I hate to admit that I looked through it but I found your diary. I didn't read it." I quickly added. "I was just curious if I was going to be allowed to look at it someday."

Bella bit her lip and looked at her feet for a moment. "I thought you were going to ask me about Jacob's speech at the funeral."

"No. What happened between you and Jacob to lead to his feelings for you is none of my concern as long as I know that your heart belongs to me."

"Edward of course it does!" She snatched her head up to meet my gaze.

"It's wonderful to hear you say that. Now please answer my question."

"Um…" She looked at her feet a little longer before her eyes met mine. "It's not something you will enjoy reading… But if you want to read it, you can. I don't mind. Please just don't think differently of me when you do see it."

"How could I ever love you less? I only wanted to know everything I needed to make up to you during our eternity together. Nothing you did while I was away will make me think any differently of you." I pulled her to me and heard her sigh sweetly.

"Okay. You can read it whenever you choose. Lets go hunt."

I was both ecstatic and filled with worry over the idea of reading her diary. To see her life through her eyes while I was away will be agonizing but it will help me to make up my mistakes to her. I could only be thankful she had forgiven me at all.


	17. Chapter 17

**17. Dreams**

**Edward's POV**

I was practically giddy during the entire hunt. Bella promised me I could see her diary soon. As much as I dreaded seeing the damage I caused on her life through her eyes, I couldn't contain my excitement. Reading her unedited words would be the closest I have ever come to reading her mind.

Upon reaching our home, Alice met us at the door and grabbed Bella by the hand.

"I need to clean you up before you see Charlie. I picked out the perfect outfit for you to wear and know exactly how I'm going to do your hair and makeup. I have your contacts ready too."

"Alice." Bella pulled back on her arm before Alice could drag her upstairs. "I would rather look exactly the same as I did at the funeral. It would be much easier to pass seeing off as a dream if Charlie and my mom saw me wearing the same thing rather than changing."

Alice closed her eyes momentarily to get a vision of Bella's decision and how the future would be affected.

"You're right. They will be more likely to believe that seeing you is a dream if you wear the same thing that they saw you in today. You do need to wear the contacts though. You will just have to put them in when you get there or else the venom in your eyes will dissolve them before you're ready."

"That's fine. Can we get the primping over with then? I'm ready to get a move on."

Alice smiled and within the blink of an eye, she and Bella were up in her bedroom to being the torture. I decided to take this moment to read Bella's diary in the privacy of our bedroom. She told me it had been placed under the mattress for safekeeping.

I reached our room and walked over to the unused bed. Lifting the mattress gently, I found the small black diary which I held in my hands only two nights before. I carefully put the mattress in its previous position and sat on top of the blankets, book in hand.

I flipped the book open after gently stroking its cover and began to read. Each page became worse than the last. Bella wrote of how she felt each day in my absence and what she did to soothe the hurt she felt. Her words were filled with pain and longing for something out of her reach.

I had to admit, I felt relieved when I finished reading everything she wrote. I half expected her to do worse than ride motorcycles or approach strangers in Port Angeles. I suppose her walking alone in the woods for days, almost dying of starvation, cushioned the blow of her previous actions. Compared to that, breaking into the school to look for records of the Cullen family doesn't seem so serious.

What did concern me, however, was the fact that she spent so much time with Jacob Black. So much in fact, she had feelings for him. Though she assured me her heart was mine, I couldn't help but feel jealous of the mutt. They slept in a bed together wrapped in each other's arms. Though Bella wrote that it was nothing more than two friends comforting each other, I couldn't help but be uneasy about the situation. Surely she could have sought the company of someone else. I guess that's just Bella for you. She always has a way of seeing the best in others even if there is nothing to see.

I closed the book and let my thoughts carry me away. I promised Bella I would love her same as I did before I read her diary. I was unashamed to admit that my promise would be broken. I didn't love her the same as before… I loved her more. Each angst filled word mirrored everything about my feelings while I was away from her.

_Perhaps it is possible that she can love me with all of the passion and need in which I love her. She certainly seems to._

The thought made me anxious for my planned proposal. Everything was already set in place. All that needed to be done was to get Bella to the meadow. Alice helped with the preparations of course. I could only hope that she followed my instructions and didn't over do anything. Something being overdone is not the kind of proposal I want for my Bella.

"Edward?" Bella's voice was quiet as she peeked into the room. "Are you angry with me? From what you read I mean. I told you it was bad…"

The look of pain on Bella's features was evident. Did she truly believe I could love her any less for actions she did in my absence? Each wrongdoing she committed was because of me, I could hold no blame on her.

"Of course I'm not angry with you, though if you don't come over here very soon, I may be forced to reconsider." I barely spoke the words aloud before Bella was across the room and wrapped in my arms. I held her close and took in every ounce of her.

"I was so afraid you would be angry with me for my actions. I had to be reckless and stupid as you called it. It was the only way to convince myself that you were real. Your voice kept me going."

"I can understand you hearing my voice. At times, I could hear yours as well."

"Really? It must have been terribly annoying for you." She smiled and wrapped herself tighter in my arms.

"Actually it was quite pleasant. Though it was painful to remember your face from the day I left, your voice gave me hope as to why I was no longer here. I swear Bella, had I known it wasn't what was best for you, I would have never stepped one toe out of your life. I only thought I was protecting you. Can you ever forgive me for my foolishness?"

"Of course, and I understand. I would have done the same if the situation were to be reversed. If I thought it was protecting you, I would force myself away if I had to."

"Be thankful that you will never have to make the choice. I'm thankful that now I will never be forced to again."

Bella sighed but neither of us said another word for what seemed like hours. Without warning, Alice burst through the door and stood in front of us.

"You need to leave here in exactly fifty seconds. I have everything timed perfectly. Jazz is waiting downstairs for you."

"Thank you Alice." Bella said as she hopped off my lap. "Lets get this over with shall we?"

The three of us, Bella, Jasper, and I, left the house without word. Jasper was given Bella's contacts for when the time was right. Luckily, both Renee and Charlie would be at the Swan home saving us time and effort from having to break into a hotel in the center of town.

"Okay, Alice said to have you put these in as soon as you're ready to go inside. You have a half hour before they are completely dissolved. She doesn't see you taking more than fifteen minutes though." Jasper was set in full military mode. His mission: Get in and get out undetected.

"Thank you again for doing this for me Jasper. I'll make it up to you somehow."

"Don't worry about it Bella. We're family. Families do favors for each other. Whenever you're ready, we'll proceed." Jasper smiled and squeezed Bella's hand. He was still thankful Bella had forgiven him for his bloodlust at her birthday party.

"I just need a few minutes alone in my old room if you two don't mind. I'll let you know when I'm ready to face my parents. I don't want to forget any of this."

Jasper and I both nodded and without a word, Bella scaled the wall of her home with ease and opened the window into her old bedroom. We could both hear her as she moved slowly around the room she would never be able to enter again. From Jasper's thoughts, Bella was filled to the point of explosion with guilt.

"Why is she guilty?" I mouthed to Jasper in order to keep Bella from hearing our conversation.

"_I can't be sure but I think it's guilt from how she treated her parents over the past few months."_ Jasper replied with his thoughts. "_She also feels hopeful. I think she is hopeful that this goodbye will somehow make things better for them in their grief."_

I could understand that. According to Bella's diary, she put her parents through a lot in her grief over losing me. I could only hope she would be able to rest at ease after this. No creature such as my Bella deserves to feel sad even for the shortest amount of time.

"Hey guys, I'm ready." Bella whispered loud enough for Jasper and I to hear but too quietly to wake Charlie or Renee. Her face was filled with confidence and determination.

Jasper and I made our way up the wall and into the room easily. Bella stood by the door looking out into the hallway. She seemed to be concentrating excruciatingly hard. Her bottom lip was between her teeth as she breathed slowly in and out.

"Jasper, I'm as ready as I'll ever be. You know what I need you to do right?" Jasper handed Bella the box of contacts and she popped them into her eyes. Jasper nodded his confirmation gently. Though her eyes weren't the same warm chocolate they had been when she was human, it would be much more difficult to tell the difference than her drastic crimson orbs.

"Lets go then. It needs to be done while I have the strength to do it." Bella sighed a final time and stepped quickly and quietly out of the room, Jasper directly behind, and went downstairs to say goodbye to Renee first. I assumed she wanted to save Charlie for last since she had been closer to him than her mother for these past months.

I decided to linger in Bella's room to allow her to have this moment to herself. I refused to be a distraction in the most important part of her now immortal life. Everything she needed to say would be said without my interference.

**Bella's POV**

I crept down the stairs with precise movements, not a toe out of line. I wanted to be sure nothing went wrong tonight. I rubbed furiously at the uncomfortable contacts in my eyes but eventually left them alone upon realizing I was doing no good in my task.

My mother was asleep on Charlie's couch, her hand tucked against her face like a child. Upon closer inspection, I realized she was holding a framed picture close to her chest with her other hand.

I touched the frame gently as I saw which picture she clutched to her. It was the picture Edward took of me and Charlie before he decided to leave. I smiled at the picture once more before I moved to wake Renee up. As she opened her eyes with a fright, I nodded to Jasper to keep her at a semi conscious state.

"Bella? Bella is it really you? Oh sweetie you're alive."

I sat down gently beside my mother and took her warm hand into mine. I could feel the blood pumping through her veins and hear her heart beating frantically bit neither of these excited the monster inside of me. I was thankful.

"It's me mom, but I'm not really here or alive, only in your dream. I wanted to… come and say goodbye." I choked back sobs as I looked into my mother's tear stained cheeks. Her eyes were red and bloodshot from crying so much the past few days.

"I'm not ready for you to go baby. Please, stay with me." She started to lean up to wrap around me but Jasper intensified his gift to where she was almost completely asleep. I glared at him as he shrugged sheepishly and eased back his powers.

"I know mom, believe me, I do. I don't want to leave you either but I have no choice. I want you to know that where I am, I'm happy. I promise you that I'm so very happy." I smiled at her but she didn't seem convinced.

"Were you in pain Bella… When you died? Why did you run off like that?" She was starting to get worked up again but Jasper calmed her slightly and she relaxed.

"No mom. I wasn't in any pain. Everything happened quickly." Though my pain was dire, I didn't want to upset my mother. "I left because I couldn't stand hurting you or Charlie any more. I didn't expect to die but I'm happy I did."

"If that family hadn't left I would still have you here with me. I can't believe they would…"

"Mom." I cut her off. "Please don't blame the Cullens. It was my decision that led me here, not theirs. They all love me very much, please know that and take it to heart. I hold no blame over them and neither should you." She squeezed my hand but said nothing.

"I love you mom. I'll love you for the rest of eternity. Please take care of yourself for me. I don't want you to be sad when I'm so happy."

"I… I'll try Bella. I love you so much my sweet angel. I'll do my very best to make you proud of me." She held my hand to her lips and kissed it.

"I have always been proud of you mom, and I always will be. I need to go now."

I heard her heart begin to pick up its pace as I moved to stand.

"Please, do you have to leave me now?"

"Yes mom. I'm sorry, but I do. At least you will have Phil when you get home. He will be your comfort through this. He loves you as much as I do." I stooped gently and kissed her cheek. "I love you mom. Never forget that."

"I won't baby. I love you too my Isabella. We'll see each other again someday in the afterlife."

Her words made me fight to hold back a sob. If only she knew that I would never be joining her in death. I couldn't speak words of comfort to her in fear of crumbling and losing my composure. Instead, I held on to her hand and nodded to Jasper for him to put her back to sleep. She smiled as her hand went limp in mine. Peace evident on her features.

"That was much more difficult than I imagined." I whispered.

"No one said it would be easy Bella. Are you ready to go say goodbye to Charlie or do you need a moment to compose yourself?"

"I'm ready. I need to hurry before I talk myself into staying."

Jasper nodded and followed me up the stairs silently. I could hear Edward stretch out on my bed as I walked briskly past my old room. I was thankful that he was allowing me time to do this myself. He truly was a wonderful man.

Standing outside my father's door, I listened to his labored breathing. He seemed to be having a nightmare. I moved quickly inside to wake him from one dream and place him into another, hopefully more pleasant, dream.

Nodding to Jasper, I stroked my father's sweaty brow until he opened his eyes and took in my form sitting on his bed, still as a statue.

"Bells? Are you really here?" His smile could have lit and entire block with its essence.

"No dad. Not really. You're dreaming."

He reached over and took my hand. I could see the look of confusion on his face as he felt my icy skin. He composed himself quickly.

"Your skin is freezing Bella. Are you cold?"

"I no longer feel temperature changes dad. I'm not among this world anymore remember?"

"You can't be dead Bells. I know you can't. You carried me through the woods. You saved my life. I saw you, I could feel your touch."

I wanted so badly to argue with him but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I felt a moment of weakness.

"I did carry you dad, but not in the way that you think. I couldn't leave this place until I knew that you were safe. Now that you are, it's time for me to move on." At least it wasn't a lie.

"Bella… You can't go… Please don't leave me. I'm so sorry for giving up on you. I should have understood what that boy did to you. I should have done something!"

"No dad. Edward had nothing to do with what I did to you. My actions were my own. Please don't hold blame against him or his family, I don't."

"I don't know what else to do. You would have never done this had he not left. You should have never moved away from your mother."

"Dad, I'm happy where I am. It doesn't matter whose fault it is alright? Moving here to live with you is by far the best decision I could have ever made for myself. I'll hold those memories of us close to my heart for the rest of eternity. Not a day will go by that I don't think of you."

"I won't see you again… Will I Bella?" His question shocked me momentarily. How could he know we would never be together again? I looked at Jasper who shrugged his shoulders. Apparently even under his influence, Charlie was able to think clearly enough to see through my half truths. Yet again, my shield crumbled and I spoke the truth to my father.

"No dad…" I whispered to him. "No, you will never see me again."

"I didn't think so. Why else would you come to me now…? Bells, Bella… I love you kiddo. I can't express how happy I am that you came to live with me. Your cooking was incredible and it was so peaceful to have someone here with me even if it was only for a short while. Just promise me one thing before you go? Will you promise me you will take care of yourself?"

"Of course dad, I promise. I will never be alone or in pain again. Rest easy knowing that I'm happy where I am and that I will love you forever, long after you've forgotten me. Sleep now and relax."

"Do you have to go Bella? Can't you stay a little longer?"

"I can't… I would love to but I'm not able to. I love you Daddy… Take care of yourself… For me." I nodded to Jasper to put my dad back to sleep. I kissed his brow and hugged him to me as unconsciousness began to take over him again.

"I love you too Bella. Forever…" And he was asleep. My body shook heard but I forced myself off of his bed as I cast one final look at him and inhaled deeply to etch his scent into my memory. The smile on his lips is one that I would never forget no matter how many more centuries I lived. I could only hope my parents would do as I asked and move on with their lives. They deserved so much more than I was able to give them.

I exited my dad's room as quietly as I entered, closing the door after Jasper passed by me. I walked down the hall slowly at human pace to my bedroom where my life and savior awaited me.

I didn't speak when I entered the room, I didn't need to. Edward held his arms open for me and I fell into him without complaint. I curled my body around his and released the sobs that had been threatening to break free since I was downstairs with my mother.

"We're going home Bella. I'll carry you so don't worry about having to move."

I barely heard his voice as he stood from the bed and walked to the window with me still clutched against his chest. He jumped from my room and landed on his feet. I was barely aware of Jasper closing the window and following behind us to the house.

The trees flew by us at an amazing rate as Edward ran through them. I only clutched his body tighter to mine and sobbed harder as time continued to move forward. I knew upon arriving home I would be forced to say goodbye yet again to the rest of my family as we go our separate ways for the next few years. Edward assured me we would visit them so much it would be like they never left. I can only hope he was right.

Once we reached the house, my sobbing stopped. I was ready to brace this next chapter in my life with open arms and take it as it may come.

Edward set me down on my feet and for the first time since I was at my dad's house, I looked around wide-eyed. My entire family was standing on the front porch, each with a look of sorrow on their beautiful faces, their golden eyes filled with tears that could never fall.

"Bella, we're all so very sorry that you have to give up everything." Esme ran from the porch to hug me. Her voice was strained as she tried to choke back her own sobs.

"It's alright Esme, really. I may have to give up the human side of my life but it doesn't compare to everything I gain in return." I smiled over my shoulder to Edward. The crooked grin I love so much overtook his face. My heart would have been racing had I still been human.

I hugged each member of my family as they went their separate ways. Rosalie and Emmett planned to live in South America for a few years to enjoy each other in ways I didn't want to imagine while Alice and Jasper planned to continue their hunting expedition for a few months then travel the world again. Only Esme and Carlisle were making the move with us and even then, they planned to spend some time on Isle Esme for a few weeks beforehand to enjoy a little alone time. Edward and I planned to enjoy the sites and tour the country of France for those few weeks before we officially settled into the house Esme prepared for the four of us.

Everything seemed to be falling into place except for one aspect.

"I thought Jacob said he was going to come with us. I haven't seen him since the funeral earlier today."

"I don't know. He didn't even go to the graveside. I'm sure he will show up before we leave." Edward answered me. He ground his teeth so I could only assume he was fighting an internal battle over Jacob wanting to come with us to France.

"Bella, here is your very own cell phone. I took the liberty of adding in everyone's numbers for you. We are all only a phone call away." Alice dropped the tiny silver phone into my hands and hugged me once more before she, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett piled in Emmett's jeep and drove to the airport.

Emmett planned to have his jeep shipped to their new home shortly after their arrival. He refused to be without it. The rest of our family planned to leave out first thing the next morning after Esme gave the movers strict instructions on the furniture.

"Would you mind coming to the meadow with me once more before we leave?" Edward whispered in my ear after Carlisle and Esme retired into the house.

"I would love to."

No sooner were the words out of my mouth, Edward scooped me up bridal style and ran towards our private spot way from the rest of the world. I couldn't help but feel excited as he carried me away to be alone. I wonder what he has planned...


	18. Chapter 18

**This Chapter will be rushed. I apologize for that in advance. Thank you to all who have read and commented. It means a lot to have support.**

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**18. Proposal and Beyond**

**Edward's POV**

I ran through the forest quickly with Bella in my arms. I couldn't wait to show her what I planned. I could only hope she would enjoy it.

"Close your eyes." I whispered in her ear. She giggled but did as I asked.

When I reached the meadow, it was set up exactly how I wanted it. Alice reined in herself enough to follow my instructions for the first time since she joined the family. There were twinkling lights all around the open meadow, candles, a blanket, and in the center, my piano.

"Open them." I held Bella close to my body without setting her down as she admired the meadow before her. I heard her breathe in the site before her before she commented.

"It's beautiful Edward." She breathed. "I thought your piano was already sent to France."

"No, I asked that it be left behind just for tonight." I smiled at her and walked over to the bench, her still in my arms. I set her down gently on the seat and scooted in next to her.

"I haven't played a note since I left… I want you to know, each note I play tonight is solely for you and only you my love." Bella would have been blushing had she still been human. She smiled and looked down to her hands. I lifted her chin with my index finger to kiss her lips before I began to play her lullaby.

"This is wonderful. Thank you so much for setting it all up. I really needed to cheer up." She smiled and leaned her head against my arm as I continued to play softly, the chords echoing off the trees in a magnificent melody.

"It's all for you my beautiful Bella."

As the song came to a close, I was ready to make my move.

"There's one more surprise to this night. Would you please stand up for me?" She did as I asked once more. "Close your eyes and don't peek."

As soon as her lids were sealed, I pulled my mother's ring out of my pocket and got down on one knee in front of her. I took a moment to calm my nerves before I spoke.

"You can open them love."

Bella gasped when she noticed me on the ground in front of her. I took her hand in mine and said aloud the words I only imagined in my brightest moments I would ever say to her, "Isabella Marie Swan, I promise to love you for the rest of my existence. I promise to do everything in my power to make you the happiest woman on this earth. Will you do me the great honor of being my wife for eternity?"

For a moment, I was worried she was going to say no to me. I held my position still as stone until she spoke.

"Of course Edward! I would love to be your wife!" I slipped the ring on her finger before standing and pulling her into my arms. I kissed her until we were both gasping for unneeded breath. I had to fight my arousal, there would be a time and place for it, but not tonight.

Bella and I spent the rest of the night wrapped in each other's arms on the blanket Alice set out for us watching the stars until the sun came up to be quickly covered by clouds. It didn't matter. All was well in the world when I had Bella in my arms.

"It's time to go love." Esme and Carlisle will be waiting for us.

Bella groaned but stood anyway.

"Go on ahead. I'm not going to leave my piano here." I smirked at her as she rolled her eyes. She kissed my lips quickly as I made my way to the piano nd she ran in the direction of our Forks home.

"So you proposed to Bella I see." The voice of Jacob Black came to me out of nowhere. I crouched down in anticipation of a fight, teeth bared.

"Calm down. I'm not here to fight with you. I only wanted to tell you that I'm still going to France with you. As long as Bella says it's okay I guess. If she's banned from here, so am I."

I looked into his face with deep concentration and relaxed my stance. His thoughts were filled with hurt at the idea of Bella denying him of his request to follow.

"I don't think she will have a problem with it Jacob, though I can't read her mind or see the future to tell you for sure." I chuckled softly as he rolled his eyes in a very Bella fashion.

"What about you?" I didn't expect that question. I took a moment to gather my thoughts into a response.

"I believe your home is here with your pack and your father, however, I will not deny your request to tag along, if that is what Bella wishes."

"Thank you leec… Edward. I'm not a member of the pack anymore. I am my own pack now. I didn't go to the graveside because I was packing my suitcase. I have everything I need right here." He pointed to a suitcase near the tree he stepped out from behind.

"I guess if you're going, grab your effects and follow me. I'm taking my piano back to the house to make the move. Maybe Carlisle can scrub you down to get the wet dog smell off of you before we go." I chuckled lightly as Jacob glared at me but picked up his suitcase and followed suit.

I maneuvered my piano through the trees with little difficulty, laughing as I pictured Alice doing the same earlier today. Though I had to move more slowly than I cared to, it was worth it for my piano to make it back in one piece and without scratches.

Everyone was shocked to see Jacob carrying a suitcase but no one, not even Bella, argued with his decision. They each welcomed him with open arms.

After everyone was packed to go and Esme gave her orders to the movers, we all piled into my Volvo to go to the airport. No one complained when I let the windows down to air out the smell. I imagined that it was harder for Jacob since he was outnumbered by my family.

At the gates of the airport, we all hugged and said our goodbyes. Bella and I planned to have a small wedding in a few weeks when Carlisle and Esme returned from their alone time. All of the other's agreed to fly out for it. Bella was upset that her father would be unable to walk her down the aisle but she was as happy as I was to be husband and wife. She knew it was for the best to leave her father in the dark.

Once on the plane, Jacob fell asleep in his seat while Bella and I talked of our future together. Everything seemed perfect except for the dog we adopted, though I would never tell Bella that. I had to admit, to be in love with Bella, Jacob was handling his thoughts and his emotions quite well when I touched her.

The plane landed with a soft thud. The sky was dark so covering our skin wouldn't be necessary at this time. Bella gently shook Jacob awake and the three of us made our way to luggage claim. We must have looked like an odd group because many a passerby stopped to openly stare without shame.

"Oh my… It can't be… Here?" Jacob stood next to me while we waited for Bella's bag to appear on the luggage rack. His mouth was hanging open slightly as he stared across the room at a young woman who was also gathering her luggage.

"Jake? You okay?" Bella walked slowly over to us with her bag in hand.

"Yeah I'm great actually… I just imprinted…" Bella and I both wore looks of shock at his confession. We followed his gaze to a beautiful young woman across the baggage claim. Her hair was Auburn and hung down to her waist in subtle curls. Her eyes were of the deepest shades of blue and small freckles glistened her cheeks. She was also staring at Jacob with the same look of awe in which he bestowed upon her.

"That must be why I had an attachment to Bella… Fate was leading me to… her." Bella and I exchanged glances but when we looked back, Jacob was standing with the lovely woman smiling and laughing.

"Wow. Fate really does work in strange ways doesn't it?" Bella took my hand and smiled up at me. "I'm glad I could have been a part of it."

"Edward, Bella, I would like you to meet Jasmine. Jasmine, these are my friends Edward and Bella." Jasmine blushed and shook our hands. Her heart was erratic as Jacob's arm brushed against hers.

We stayed a few moments longer while Jacob exchanged information with Jasmine with promises to meet up as soon as we were settled. Luckily for Jacob, he would have the place all to himself as Bella and I traveled around France. I could only imagine that he would be seeing her before she saw him.

"She's very pretty Jake." Bella smiled and hugged her best friend. "I'm so happy for you!" They both smiled as we took our leave to the busy street where our cab waited.

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Bella and I were able to see all of France in a few weeks while we impatiently awaited our wedding. We were both growing tired of waiting to make love and each moment was getting more and more difficult to resist. Jacob and Jasmine were rarely out of each other's sight. They planned to travel Europe for awhile before they jumped into anything too serious. I couldn't be happier to have the wet dog smell out of our house.

The night before mine and Bella's wedding, our family arrived with open arms. Alice, Bella, and Rosalie were jumping and squealing like children while Jasper, Emmett, and I tried to grab their entire luggage and get it to the car. It ended up taking two cars to get everything to our house due to Alice's over packing.

That night, Emmett, Jasper, Carlisle, and I went out to hunt while all of the girls stayed in to laugh and paint toenails. I was surprised when Jacob joined us on the hunt and let Jasmine stay with the vampire women. He seemed reluctant but Jasmine insisted. Now that Jacob has explained imprinting to her, she wanted to do everything in her power to make Bella happy. She thanked her for bringing Jacob to her every chance she got.

The night away from Bella was agonizing but well worth the wait when I watched her walk down the aisle towards me. She was practically glowing in her white gown that she and Alice picked out over a series of phone calls and e-mails. Everything about that day was perfect.

Bella and I danced the night away until we were finally alone and able to do what we had been waiting to do for so long. In our empty home in Paris, I removed her dress slowly, revealing her naked body to me. All I could think about was that she was now mine officially and for all of eternity.

The next year, we all came together for Jacob and Jasmine's wedding. Though it wasn't nearly as beautiful as my wedding to Bella, it suited them. The wedding was held in Paris on the square. The Cullen family slipped a few thousand dollars to have the entire street blocked off for the occasion. We also paid for Jacob's father and two of his friends to come see the wedding all the way from Forks. Billy told us how things were and even updated Bella on Charlie. Apparently he and Sue Clearwater were getting fairly close to a wedding of their own.

There was hostility between the vampires and the wolves of course, knowing their brother ran with vampires, but everyone smiled and laughed with the happy couple. It couldn't have been a more pleasant occasion given the circumstances.

After a few more years of living in France, we made our move yet again. This time, our entire family would be together once more and we would be portraying high school students in Alaska. At least this time, Bella would be my side. All would be well with the rest of our eternity. I could feel it deep within my heart. One smile from Bella on the first day of high school was all I needed to support my belief.

"I love you my beautiful Bella." I whispered into her ear as we made love.

"I love you too my Edward. For all of eternity and beyond." I smiled and kissed her with all of the passion I could bring to my lips. Everything was going to be perfect

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**I am SO sorry for rushing this ending but we all know how happy they were at their wedding and how wonderful things turned out. I really didn't want to repeat everything. Thank you again for all who have read. I WILL be writing a sequel to this but it will only be a one-shot. Stay tuned for it. It will be posted after Thanksgiving sometime. Thanks again!**


	19. Heads Up

Just A Quick Note By Order Of Request: The Sequel Is Now Posted


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